Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that the United States wants Russia and Ukraine to reach a resolution to the war — the largest in Europe since World War Two — before the summer.
In remarks released by his office, Zelenskiy said Washington has proposed a new round of talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Miami within a week, and that Ukraine has agreed to participate.
“The Americans are pushing for the conflict to end before the start of summer and are likely to pressure both sides to meet that timeline,” Zelenskiy said. “The mid-term elections are obviously a priority for them. But they are saying they want everything resolved by June.”
Zelenskiy’s comments confirmed an earlier Reuters report on the proposed timing. He added that Ukraine had suggested a sequencing plan for negotiations, though no specifics were provided.
Earlier this week, Ukraine and Russia concluded two days of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi without a major breakthrough. However, both sides agreed to exchange 157 prisoners of war each, resuming swaps after a five-month pause. Zelenskiy said POW exchanges would continue.
Military teams discussed technical arrangements for monitoring a potential ceasefire. Security guarantees for Ukraine and economic cooperation agreements — described by officials as a “prosperity plan” for postwar recovery — were also on the agenda.
Zelenskiy added that Ukraine’s intelligence reported discussions in which Russia’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev proposed bilateral deals with the United States worth up to $12 trillion, but stressed that any such agreements could not violate the Ukrainian constitution.