Inside the Miami–Moscow Backchannel: Is Ukraine Being Pressured Into a Painful Peace?

Over the past month, following the release of Trump’s 28-point peace outline for Ukraine and the subsequent talks over how to implement it, reports indicate a series of five-hour negotiating sessions between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations in Miami, Florida. These discussions were centered on one issue above all: drawing the post-war borders between Ukraine and Russia.

Representing Washington were Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s adviser and son-in-law. The Ukrainian side included National Security Adviser Rustem Umerov, Chief of the General Staff Andriy Khentov, and Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of military intelligence. After the marathon session, Ukrainian officials described the talks as “intense and difficult” but still “constructive,” a careful wording that makes clear the old rifts remain unresolved.

The deepest fault line is well known: the fate of Crimea and Donbas. Kyiv insists on restoring the 1991 borders. Washington wants a deal that is *practical* enough to claim a diplomatic win. Moscow sees sovereignty over these territories as non-negotiable and fundamental to its national security posture.

That position was reaffirmed once more by Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s senior aide on foreign policy, who reiterated that Crimea and Donbas are “Russian territory,” adding that Putin has repeatedly stated Moscow will maintain control over these regions, whether through negotiations or by force.

The direction of the Miami talks suggests that the emerging blueprint for future borders may come at a politically painful cost for Ukraine and President Zelensky. Washington is pressing Kyiv to hand over the entirety of Donbas to Russia and abandon any future claims, hoping such a concession will coax Putin toward a peace agreement.

Analysts say Trump’s campaign promise of a “quick peace,” combined with war fatigue and U.S. domestic considerations, has intensified the push for an expedited settlement, even one that is fragile. Meanwhile, Europe is signaling a return to diplomatic engagement. The Czech prime minister, acting on behalf of the EU, is expected to meet Putin to explore a European-mediated track for peace negotiations, a sign that Brussels is re-engaging on terms closer to Moscow’s preferred framework, though still under heavy U.S. pressure.

In a parallel development, Time reported that Putin’s recent three-hour meeting in Moscow with Trump’s special envoy marked a “critical” step in attempting to resolve the remaining obstacles to a peace deal. In attendance were Putin, Witkoff, Ushakov, RDIF head Kirill Dmitriev, and Jared Kushner. The meeting ended with both sides pledging confidentiality and committing to the “principle of silence.” No concrete breakthrough was announced, though further communication was agreed upon.

With Trump’s 28-point plan on the table and U.S. pressure mounting on Zelensky to accept the proposed terms, Europe is now moving to activate a political settlement track. The dual push to define post-war borders and nudge Putin toward ending hostilities is increasingly paired with strong pressure on Kyiv. Recently, when Trump was asked whether Ukraine might lose territories it had not previously lost in the war, he replied simply: “Yes. They will lose them soon.”

Taken together, the rapid diplomatic activity in Florida and Moscow suggests that Washington is driving forcefully toward a settlement that requires Kyiv to accept much of Moscow’s maximalist demands. A deal may now be closer than ever.

Translated by Ashraf Hemmati from the original Persian article written by Navid Daneshvar

^[1] https://iuvmpress.co/fa/article/%D8%B7%D8%B1%D8%AD-28%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%BE-%D9%86%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%BA%DB%8C%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%B9%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D9%81%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D8%B2%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B3%DA%A9%DB%8C

^[1] https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/news/2025/12/03/27327247.shtml

^[1] https://www.rbc.ru/politics/27/11/2025/6928548a9a79470c475146b2

^[1] https://time.com/7337963/putin-witkoff-russia-ukraine-peace-talks-trump-key-issues/

^[1] https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/news/2025/12/03/27327247.shtml?updated

^[1] https://ria.ru/20251121/ukraina-2056694546.html