Ukraine starts new round of talks with US, Kyiv negotiator says

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FILE PHOTO: Secretary of Ukraines National Security and Defence Council Rustem Umerov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (not pictured) speak to the press after a meeting with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner, in Hallandale Beach, Florida, U.S., November 30, 2025. REUTERS/Eva Marie Uzcategui/File Photo

KYIV, Dec 19 - Ukrainian peace negotiators will start a new round of talks on Friday with the U.S. team on proposals for ending the war with Russia, said the head of Kyivs delegation, Rustem Umerov.

Umerov, who is in the United States for the talks, also said on the Telegram messaging app that Kyivs European partners would be involved.

We are constructively minded. We have already held preliminary consultations with our European colleagues and are preparing for further discussions with the American side, Umerov said. ... Ukraine’s security must be guaranteed reliably and in the long term.

U.S. President Donald Trumps administration is pushing to bring an end to nearly four years of the war.

White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, held talks in Berlin with Ukrainian and European officials earlier this week.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Ukraine and the United States had agreed on several documents, including a 20-point peace framework, and security guarantees and a reconstruction plan for Ukraine. But he said