Zelensky Says US Sets June Target for Peace as Florida Emerges as Negotiation Hub

In a major diplomatic announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed that the United States wants to conclude peace negotiations in the Russia-Ukraine war by June of this year. The American government has proposed hosting the next round of talks in Miami, Florida, marking the first time negotiations between the two adversaries would take place on US soil.
Zelensky’s disclosure, made to reporters in statements released early Saturday, signals Washington’s increasingly active role in seeking to end the conflict that began nearly four years ago. The June deadline represents an accelerated timeline for achieving peace in a war that has caused massive humanitarian suffering and global economic disruption. “The United States has proposed for the first time that the two negotiating teams — Ukraine and Russia — meet in the United States, probably in Miami, in a week’s time,” Zelensky explained.
The upcoming Florida negotiations follow two earlier rounds of US-facilitated talks held in Abu Dhabi beginning in January. While those sessions successfully brokered a significant prisoner exchange between the warring parties, they failed to bridge the vast gap on territorial issues. Russia maintains control over approximately 20 percent of Ukraine and is demanding recognition of this occupation plus additional territory in the Donetsk region as conditions for peace.
Ukrainian leadership has consistently and firmly rejected any territorial concessions to Russia, maintaining that doing so would legitimize military aggression and undermine international law. Moscow has countered that its territorial demands are essential to any agreement and has threatened to pursue military solutions if diplomacy doesn’t produce acceptable results. This fundamental disagreement on borders and sovereignty remains the primary obstacle to ending the conflict.
As diplomatic efforts continue, the war itself shows no signs of abating. Zelensky reported that Russia conducted strikes Friday night against infrastructure vital to Ukraine’s nuclear power plant operations. These attacks forced reductions in power generation at several nuclear facilities and caused one reactor to automatically shut down. Zelensky denounced the strikes as unprecedented terrorism and called on Russia to demonstrate genuine negotiating intent by halting attacks on critical civilian infrastructure while peace talks are underway.