Ukraine peace talks opened in Miami on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, as U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner hosted Ukrainian negotiators and senior European officials for two days of meetings aimed at breaking a diplomatic deadlock in Russia’s war on Ukraine. Russia is not taking part, and the round comes after a week of Russian strikes that killed dozens of Ukrainian civilians.
The White House confirmed that the envoys would meet Ukraine’s team to discuss a new joint proposal covering all aspects of the conflict, RFE/RL reported. A broader session with European allies, NATO and the European Union was scheduled to follow the first meeting.
Who is at the table in Miami
President Volodymyr Zelensky said his delegation would include Kyrylo Budanov, head of the presidential office; Serhiy Kyslytsya, the office’s first deputy head; Davyd Arakhamia, parliamentary leader of the ruling Servant of the People party; and Rustem Umerov, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service and a former defense minister. The team is expected back in Kyiv on Monday to brief Zelensky, according to Euronews.
Europe is represented by the national security advisers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, the three countries leading the “Coalition of the Willing” on future security guarantees for Ukraine. The European Commission is also taking part, and NATO sent its chief of staff, Geoffrey van Leeuwen. RFE/RL reported that officials from U.S. European Command, the White House National Security Council and the Treasury Department were also expected.
What the Ukraine peace talks will cover
A U.S. source told Axios that the parties would discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, a post-war prosperity plan and other parts of a possible settlement. Witkoff and Kushner met President Donald Trump on Thursday to present the latest U.S. proposal before the talks. Sources said the ideas build on work the envoys began with Russian and Ukrainian officials during visits to Moscow and Kyiv in early September.
Kyiv’s main near-term goal is a targeted ceasefire covering the Black Sea, energy facilities or both. Zelensky said negotiators had been briefed to press for stronger air defenses, and that Ukraine would separately discuss faster funding with European partners. He has also urged Washington to expand Ukraine’s access to the Starlink satellite service to help target Russian missile launchers.
Strikes raise the stakes before winter
The meetings follow some of the deadliest days of the war in weeks. Zelensky said on Thursday that 78 people had been killed and 215 wounded across Ukraine in two days, including the victims of the Kramatorsk bus strike and the earlier mass Russian attack that hit Pryluky. Russia has also kept up pressure on the capital, following its strikes on Kyiv’s bridges and power grid.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the conflict “a very dangerous war” this week and warned that a stalemate could spill into neighboring NATO countries. Zelensky objected to the word, arguing that Washington cannot describe a diplomatic stalemate while also discussing future economic projects with Moscow.
Skepticism in Moscow and Brussels
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he saw no immediate prospect of a three-way summit between Putin, Zelensky and Trump. A senior EU official said on Friday that Europe did not see Russia as ready to negotiate in good faith, but added that stronger U.S. pressure and European influence could still open a path to the partial ceasefire Ukraine has requested.
Trump said this week that he planned to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone soon. Any outcome from Miami would then need to be tested with Moscow, which has rejected every unconditional ceasefire proposal so far.