Russia must be ‘part of equation’ in achieving Ukraine peace

Russia will need to be “part of the equation” in securing a peace deal for Ukraine, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday after meeting with negotiators from Kiev in Florida.

The Ukrainian team led by top security official Rustem Umerov discussed US President Donald Trump’s peace roadmap in a meeting that included the president’s peace envoy Steve Witkoff and informal adviser Jared Kushner.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Rubio said that while progress had been made, “there’s more work to be done.”

“There are a lot of moving parts and obviously there’s another party involved here that’ll have to be a part of the equation and that’ll continue later this week when Mr. Witkoff travels to Moscow,” Rubio said. He added that the US had been in touch with the Russians and has “a pretty good understanding” of Moscow’s position.

Umerov called the talks “difficult, yet productive,” adding that there was “tangible progress on the way to a just peace.”

Although critics in Ukraine and the West have derided Trump’s plan as favoring Russia too much, the president said it was conceived with input from both sides and was later “fine-tuned” during additional meetings earlier this month.

Ukraine has so far rejected several of Russia’s key demands, including the withdrawal of troops from the Donbass and recognizing its new borders. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that a ceasefire was impossible as long as Ukraine continues to occupy parts of Russian territory.