In the US, the Trump administration has secretly started drafting a broad new plan to end the war in Ukraine, according to Axios. Trump's personal envoy has already held closed-door talks with a top Russian official. Ukrainian officials remain largely out of the process.
Secret three-day talks between Trump and Kremlin envoys
According to Axios, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff led the effort and met extensively with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who heads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and plays a central role in Moscow’s diplomatic outreach on Ukraine. A US official confirmed that Witkoff and Dmitriev held three days of discussions in Miami from 24 to 26 October.
Dmitriev told Axios that his team spent the entire period “huddled” with Witkoff and other members of Trump’s team. He said the talks reflected a major shift, claiming, “we feel the Russian position is really being heard.” Dmitriev expressed confidence that this initiative has better chances than earlier peace efforts.
Zelenskyy left waiting as Russia gets first input
Witkoff had been scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Türkiye on 19 November but postponed the trip, according to Ukrainian and US officials. Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umierov met Witkoff earlier in the week in Miami, a Ukrainian official confirmed to Axios.
The same official said Ukraine is aware that “the Americans are working on something,” but has not received the full proposal. Axios cited a White House official who said,
“President Trump believes that there is a chance to end this senseless war if flexibility is shown.”
A US official said the administration has started briefing European governments about the plan, but only after the Russia-focused meetings in Miami. The official added that the draft will evolve based on input from Ukraine and its European backers.
“Both parties need to be practical and realistic,” the official said.
Putin-Trump Alaska meeting shaped proposal’s foundation
Dmitriev stated that the new peace initiative builds on the principles that Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to during their meeting in Alaska in August. According to him, the framework is designed not only to address the war in Ukraine, but also to “restore US-Russia ties” and meet “Russia's security concerns.”
The Kremlin envoy said that US officials are now explaining the “benefits” of this approach to both Ukrainians and Europeans. He also claimed that Russia’s growing battlefield gains have boosted its negotiating leverage.
