Ukraine says talks with US make ‘real progress’ toward peace deal

ISTANBUL

Ukraine’s senior negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said on Monday that negotiations with the US over the past two days have been “constructive and productive,” claiming real progress toward a potential peace agreement as talks continued with US representatives led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

“Over the past two days, Ukrainian-US negotiations have been constructive and productive, with real progress achieved,” Umerov said in a statement on Telegram.

“We hope we will reach an agreement that will bring us closer to peace by the end of the day.”

He warned against unverified reporting, saying there is “a lot of noise and anonymous speculation in the media right now,” and urged the public not to fall for “rumors and provocations.”

Umerov said the American delegation, led by Witkoff and Kushner, is working “extremely constructively to help Ukraine find a way to a peace agreement that lasts.”

He added that the Ukrainian team is “enormously grateful to President Trump and his team for all the efforts they are putting in.”

Witkoff serves as the US Middle East special envoy, while Kushner is a former senior adviser to President Donald Trump and currently holds no formal government role.

The talks come after a week of heightened diplomacy and fighting, with Kyiv insisting any settlement must include firm security guarantees and no territorial concessions, while Moscow said it remains open to negotiations but has not received concrete proposals from Washington, DC.