Peace Talks in Florida: Ukraine and the U. S. Seek a War-Ending Deal

High-level meetings are happening in Florida. Top officials from the U. S. are talking with Ukrainian representatives. They want to end the war in Ukraine. This war started when Russia invaded in 2022. The U. S. team includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, is also there. They are discussing a peace plan. This plan has 28 points. But many people think it favors Russia too much. Before these talks, something big happened in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, resigned. Yermak was the main negotiator with the U. S. His home was searched by anti-corruption investigators. This caused problems for Zelenskyy's government. There was a scandal about $100 million stolen from the energy sector. Now, a new Ukrainian team is negotiating. They include Andrii Hnatov, the head of Ukraine's armed forces. Also, Andrii Sybiha, the foreign minister, and Rustem Umerov, head of the security council, are there. The peace plan has changed. But it's not clear how. The original plan had big issues for Ukraine. It wanted Ukraine to give up the eastern region of Donbas to Russia. It also limited Ukraine's military and blocked NATO membership. Ukraine must hold elections in 100 days. President Trump said Witkoff and Kushner might go to Moscow. They will meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Both Witkoff and Kushner have experience in real estate. They value dealmaking over traditional diplomacy. They also helped with a ceasefire in Gaza. Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian team will work hard. They will try to end the war. He said the U. S. is being constructive. But Russia keeps attacking Ukraine. On Saturday, three people died in Kyiv. More attacks happened overnight. A drone hit an apartment block. One person died, and 19 were wounded, including four children. Zelenskyy said Russia attacked Ukraine with 122 drones and missiles. He wants more missile and air defense systems. He also wants real solutions to end the war. After Ukraine damaged a Russian oil terminal, Kazakhstan asked Ukraine to stop. The terminal is near the port of Novorossiysk. It is owned by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. Kazakhstan said the attack harmed their relations with Ukraine. They want Ukraine to prevent similar incidents.