Ukraine battles new Russian incursion in Sumy region

US special envoy Steve Witkoff also posted on X regarding talks in Miami with Russia's Kirill Dmitriev. 

Witkoff said that over the past two days in Florida, "the Russian Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev held productive and constructive meetings with the American delegation to advance President Trump's peace plan on Ukraine." 

Witkoff said the US delegation included Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and White House staff member Josh Gruenbaum. Kushner does not have an official role in the administration. 

"Russia remains fully commited to achieving peace in Ukraine," Witkoff said. "Russia highly values the efforts and support of the United States to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and re-establish global security."

Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. So far, diplomatic talks have failed to end the conflict.

Talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, held between American, European and Ukrainian officials in Florida over the last three days, were "productive and constructive," according to identical posts by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukrainian envoy Rustem Umerov on X.

According to their posts, the US and Ukrainian delegations held a separate meeting focusing on four key documents: further development of the 20-point plan; alignment of positions on a multilateral security guarantee framework; alignment of positions on a US security guarantee framework for Ukraine; and further development of an economic and prosperity plan.

"Ukraine remains fully committed to achieving a just and sustainable peace. Our shared priority is to stop the killing, ensure guaranteed security, and create conditions for Ukraine’s recovery, stability, and long-term prosperity," the envoys wrote.

They also added that "Ukraine highly values the leadership and support of the United States and the continued close coordination with its partners in the next stages of this important work."

The United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to US President Donald Trump over the phone on Sunday afternoon.

Starmer and Trump discussed the war in Ukraine, as well as other issues, including the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

"The two leaders began by reflecting on the war in Ukraine," Downing Street said in a statement. "The Prime Minister updated on work by the coalition of the willing to support any peace deal and ensure a just and lasting end to the hostilities."

The call between the two leaders, which is likely to be their last of 2025, came after US and Russian negotiators met in Florida to discuss the latest revisions to a US proposal to end the war.

European and Ukrainian officials also met separately with a US team on Friday.

A Russian drone attack on Saturday has struck a sunflower oil tank near the Black Sea city of Odesa, media reports in Ukraine said Sunday.

A huge container was on fire in the port of Pivdenne, according to videos published on Telegram.

Another video shows streets near the tank that are flooded with sunflower oil.

One port employee was killed and two were wounded.

The co-founder of one of Ukraine's top seed oil traders said "thousands of tonnes" were lost. 

The tank was struck during strikes in and around the Odesa region that continued for multiple consecutive days.

The attacks hit bridges, ports and cut power lines and heating to thousands of people.

"Russia is once again trying to restrict Ukraine's access to the sea and block our coastal regions," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday of the attacks.

Ukraine is the world's leading producer of sunflower oil. Attacks on its export infrastructure could upset markets and dent state revenues, analysts say.

Ukrainian top negotiator Rustem Umerov said he would again meet with US officials in Miami.

"Third day of work in the United States. Today, together with Lieutenant General Andrii Hnatov, we will have another meeting with the American side," he said in a post on the Telegram messaging service.

"We are working ​constructively ​and substantively. We are counting on further progress and practical results," Umerov said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he would seek to hold a meeting with European allies following discussions in Miami aimed at bringing an end to the war with Russia.

"There is a shared sense that after the work by our diplomatic team in the United States, we should now hold consultations with European partners in a broader circle," Zelenskyy wrote on social media platform X after he held a phone call with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. 

European and Ukrainian negotiators have spent the weekend in Florida meeting with their US counterparts to discuss Washington's peace plan, which Zelenskyy called constructive.

The Ukrainian army is seeking to stop an attempted Russian breakthrough in the Sumy region, according to reports on Sunday.

This follows reports that Moscow had allegedly forcibly moved at least 50 people from the border village of Hrabovske.

"Fighting is currently ongoing in the village of Hrabovske," Ukraine's joint task force said. 

The military added that troops were "making efforts to drive the occupiers back into Russian territory," but dismissed media reports that Russian soldiers were also in the neighboring Riasne village.

Earlier on Sunday, the Ukrainian rights ombudsman made an assessment that enemy troops had forcibly moved about 50 civilians from Hrabovske to Russia.

Those claims could not be independently verified, and Russia made no comment although the army said on Saturday they had captured the village of Vysoke, a few kilometers from Hrabovske.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to hold talks with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, a Kremlin spokesman said on Sunday.

Dmitry Peskov said Putin "expressed readiness to engage in dialogue" in comments carried by Russian state news agency Ria Novosti. He added that with mutual political willingness, talks between both sides could be beneficial.

It follows Macron saying on Friday that Europe and Ukraine should hold direct talks with Putin as they seek to reach an agreement on a peace deal that would bring an end to Russia's invasion of their neighbors.

“Otherwise, we are discussing among ourselves with negotiators who will negotiate on their own with the Russians. That is not optimal,” the French president had said.

Paris on Sunday welcomed Putin's openness to the idea.

"We will decide in the coming days on the best way to proceed," the Elysee said.

The Kremlin emphasized that three-way talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States were not on the cards, despite diplomats from all parties currently being in Miami.

According to Russian news agencies, Vladimir Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, told reporters that discussions for such a meeting had not taken place and no preparation was therefore being made.

The comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Washington had spoken of a possible trilateral format, though he too expressed scepticism.

Despite saying it would be a logical step for a first face-to-face meeting in almost six months between Russia and Ukraine, Zelenskyy added: "I am not sure that anything new could come of it." 

On Saturday, Ukrainian and European negotiators met with US diplomats while Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev also travelled to Florida to meet with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in a separate meeting at different locations.

Those talks will continue on Sunday, after which Ushakov said Dmitriev "will return to Moscow, make his report, and we will discuss what to do next."

Meanwhile, Ushakov also expressed doubts that any changes put forward by European and Ukrainian diplomats to the current US peace plan would yield a positive outcome.

"I am sure that the proposals that the Europeans and Ukrainians have made or ‍are trying to make definitely do ​not improve ​the document and do not improve the possibility of achieving long-term peace," he said.

As fierce fighting continues on Ukraine's eastern frontline, soldiers say any peace deal that trades territory for an end to the war is unacceptable.

At the same time, Kyiv is bolstering European backing following Tuesday's talks in Berlin as it seeks leverage in ongoing US-led negotiations.

Officials from Russia and the United States ended a day of peace talks in the southern US state of Florida and will continue their efforts on Sunday. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev told reporters that the meeting with US counterparts Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had been constructive. 

"The discussions are proceeding constructively. They began earlier and will continue today, and will also continue tomorrow," Dmitriev said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio might also join the talks, Dmitriev had said.

Saturday's negotiations with Russia come after the US spent Friday in talks with Ukraine and European officials. They reported progress on security guarantees for Ukraine. However, it remains unclear to what extent Moscow will accept those terms.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the United States to put more pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

"America must clearly say: if not diplomacy, then there will be full pressure," Zelenskyy said. "Putin does not yet feel the kind of pressure that should exist."

Zelenskyy also called for increased arms supplies to Ukraine and sanctions on the entire Russian economy.

Earlier on Saturday, the Ukrainian president said that Washington had proposed trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the United States (see entry below).

Sporting authorities in Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia have urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not to ease restrictions against athletes from Russia and Belarus.

In a joint letter sent to IOC president Kirsty Coventry, the Baltic trio's respective National Olympic committees said they had "fundamental concerns" about a recent IOC recommendation to allow Russian and Belarusian youth athletes to compete internationally under their countries' flags.

Athletes from Russia and Belarus have only been allowed to compete in some sports as neutrals, while they have been completely banned from participating in others.

The restrictions were imposed in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which Belarus has supported.

"We strongly oppose any measure that would permit athletes representing Russia or Belarus to participate under national flags, anthems, colours, uniforms, or as team entries while the ongoing aggression against Ukraine continues," the statement said.

 "We firmly believe that the credibility of Olympism depends on the consistent defence of peace, human dignity, and respect for international law," it added.

Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy, has arrived in Miami.

Dmitriev is set for talks with US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner, Russian sources told AFP and Reuters news agencies.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the United States has offered a potential new format for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, which would include American and possibly European envoys.

"The US said they would have a separate meeting with representatives of Russia. And they proposed the following format, as far as I understand: Ukraine, America, Russia, and, since there are representatives of Europe there, probably ‍Europe as well," Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv.

Kyiv will decide on the format after assessing whether the bilateral discussions with US negotiators that resumed on Friday are positive. Zelenskyy said he planned to discuss the matter with Ukraine's delegation chief, Rustem Umerov.

Ukraine and Russia have not negotiated face-to-face since July, but US-led shuttle diplomacy to end the nearly four-year-long war has intensified in recent weeks. 

US negotiators were set to meet with Russian officials in Florida on Saturday.