US and Ukrainian envoys said talks in Miami aimed at ending the war with Russia had been productive and constructive - but no major breakthrough that could bring Moscow and Kyiv closer to peace seems forthcoming.
US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, issued a joint statement with the top Ukrainian negotiator, Rustem Umerov, after three days of talks alongside European officials.
The pair said the meeting focused on aligning positions on a 20-point plan, a multilateral security guarantee framework, a US security guarantee framework for Ukraine and an economic & prosperity plan.
Separate talks also took place in Miami between the US and the Russian envoy, Kirill Dmitriev.
Our shared priority is to stop the killing, ensure guaranteed security, and create conditions for Ukraine's recovery, stability, and long-term prosperity, Witkoff and Umerov said in a statement.
The meetings are the latest step in weeks of diplomatic activity, sparked by the leaking of a 28-point US peace plan last month. That plan shocked Ukraine and its European allies for appearing to favour Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago.
Witkoff said representatives from Russia had met himself and other US officials in southern Florida, including Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The meetings with Russian envoy Dmitriev were also productive and constructive, Witkoff said, adding that Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine.
On Monday the Kremlin said Dmitriev would travel back to Moscow to debrief Vladimir Putin on US proposals for a potential settlement.
Suggestions that a three-way meeting between the US, Russia and Ukraine could be on the cards were brushed off by Moscow.
Trump has been pushing Ukraine and Russia to come to an agreement on ending the war, but so far the two countries have been unable to agree on major issues, including Moscow's demand to be handed sections of the Donbas regions it has not managed to seize militarily.
US intelligence reports continue to warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to capture all of Ukraine and reclaim parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet empire, six sources familiar with US intelligence told the Reuters news agency.
This absolutely does not correspond to reality, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday.
The comments came after Putin told the BBC's Steve Rosenberg that there will be no more wars after Ukraine, if Russia is treated with respect.
There won't be any operations if you treat us with respect, if you respect our interests just as we've always tried to respect yours, he said.
Russia has recently intensified its attacks on Ukraine's southern region of Odesa. Ukrainian officials have said the strikes - which on Sunday night hit port and energy infrastructure - were aiming to limit Ukraine's access to the Black Sea and disrupt critical logistics routes to the border with Moldova.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack damaged two vessels and two piers in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, Russian officials said on Monday.
The damage led to a big fire, but Russian authorities say all crew were safely evacuated. Some reports say oil infrastructure was targeted.
