Negotiators have reportedly discussed elections and territorial questions but have not closed gaps on security guarantees
Security guarantees for Ukraine remained unresolved after the latest talks between Kiev and Washington on ending the conflict with Russia, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing officials.
Negotiators also discussed potential election timelines and territorial issues.
The Ukrainian delegation, led by top security official Rustem Umerov in place of Andrey Yermak – who resigned as Vladimir Zelensky’s chief of staff amid a corruption scandal – discussed US President Donald Trump’s peace roadmap with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, and informal adviser Jared Kushner. The meeting in Florida on Sunday lasted more than four hours.
Rubio said the session was productive but warned that “there’s still work to be done,” calling the negotiations “delicate” and “complicated.”
A source close to the Ukrainian delegation told AFP the talks were “not easy” and that “the search for formulations and solutions continues.”
Umerov publicly thanked Washington for its efforts – a message aimed at Trump, who has previously rebuked Kiev for showing insufficient gratitude – saying, “US is supporting us. US is working beside us.”
The discussions – which were held at the Shell Bay Club, a golf and racket venue developed by Witkoff in Hallandale Beach – reportedly covered possible timelines for new elections in Ukraine and the prospect of potential land swaps between Russia and Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that signing a deal with Kiev is “legally impossible” due to Zelensky’s status, as his presidential term expired last year but he has refused to hold elections due to martial law.
Kiev has continued to reject Russia’s core demands, including the withdrawal of troops from Donbass and recognition of its new borders. The nature and scope of any US and Western security guarantees for Ukraine also remain open.
Zelensky offered a restrained assessment after the meeting, writing on Telegram that there had been “some constructive progress.”
Rubio signaled to Kiev’s European backers that Washington will press for a peace agreement before granting any security guarantees to Ukraine, according to Politico.
Russia has demanded that Ukraine drop its NATO membership ambitions and become a neutral state. Moscow has also stressed that it will not allow nuclear weapons or Western troops on Ukrainian soil, warning that such a scenario could lead to a war with the bloc.
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The measure mirrors Beijing’s recent decision to grant the same privilege to Russian nationals
President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree allowing visa-free entry to Russia for Chinese citizens, granting them stays of up to 30 days.
The move mirrors Beijing’s recent decision to extend the same visa-free access to Russian citizens. In September, China introduced the measure on a one-year trial basis to further facilitate travel between the two countries.
Chinese citizens can now travel visa-free to Russia for private visits, business, tourism, or to take part in scientific, cultural, political, economic, or sporting events. The measure takes effect as of December 1, and will initially last until September 14, 2026.
Putin previously welcomed Beijing’s decision to allow visa-free entry for Russians, saying it would “undoubtedly” help deepen cultural and economic ties between the two countries and pledged that Moscow would respond with reciprocal steps.
The policy shift is already reflected in travel data, with the number of Russian visitors to China rising by 30-40% year-on-year in October.
Two years ago, Russia and China agreed to allow visa-free travel for organized tour groups, a move that also helped lift tourism flows. Between January and July this year, 237,000 Russians visited China, while 262,000 Chinese tourists traveled to Russia.
Eight Russian airlines currently operate 36 routes to China, while ten Chinese carriers serve 24 routes to Russia, totaling around 230 flights per week.
According to Russia’s flag carrier, Aeroflot, passenger traffic to China nearly tripled in 2024, reaching 830,000 travelers. Demand was concentrated on major destinations such as Hainan Island, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong.
Cyclone Ditwah has left nearly a third of the South Asian island nation without electricity or running water
Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, which has claimed at least 330 lives due to heavy flooding and landslides.
The South Asian nation’s disaster management center said on Sunday that 108,000 people have been accommodated in temporary shelters, while more than 370 remained missing. It estimated that 20,000 homes have been destroyed and more than 196,000 people have been displaced in what has been the worst weather-related disaster in years.
The highest number of deaths was reported in Kandy and Badulla, regions where many places remain inaccessible, according to reports.
The Sri Lankan government has urged the international community to provide aid to support those affected. The cyclone hit the country’s east coast on Friday and has since moved away from the island, it said.
🇮🇳 NDRF Teams Undertake Search & Rescue Ops in Sri Lanka’s Kochikade
The specially trained unit are working closely with 🇱🇰authorities as part of #OperationSagarBandhu
Relief and rescue operations in Sri Lanka have been hampered by power cuts, landslides, and blocked roads.
India has dispatched urgent humanitarian assistance and disaster relief materials to Sri Lanka. An IAF aircraft provided 10 tons of disaster response supplies and a medical team is working on the island.
India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is coordinating with Sri Lankan authorities and aiding in relief and rescue operations, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has said.
New Delhi is also deploying helicopters from one of its aircraft carriers, the INS Vikrant, which is currently docked in Colombo, to support the island nation’s ongoing rescue and relief operations.
Lindsey Graham has described security proposals by Kiev’s former top military commander, Valery Zaluzhny, as “unreasonable”
Security guarantees for Ukraine cannot include NATO membership or nuclear weapons, US Senator Lindsey Graham has said in response to an op-ed by Kiev’s former top military commander, Valery Zaluzhny.
In an opinion piece published in The Telegraph on Saturday, Zaluzhny, now serving as Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, wrote that “effective security guarantees” could include NATO membership, stationing nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory, or “a large allied military contingent capable of confronting Russia.”
In a post on X the following day, Graham wrote that the arrangements described by Zaluzhny were “far beyond what is possible.”
“It is imperative at this critical time that any analysis should meet the test of what is reasonably possible. The security guarantees mentioned, including accession into NATO and placing nuclear weapons in Ukraine, will not fly in my view,” Graham added.
Ukraine applied to join NATO in 2022, while European countries, including the UK and France, have expressed readiness to deploy a multinational force to Ukraine after a ceasefire is reached with Russia.
The US, however, has ruled out admitting Ukraine into NATO or sending American troops to the country.
Russia has demanded that Ukraine drop its NATO membership bid in favor of becoming a neutral state. Moscow also stressed that it would not allow nuclear weapons or Western troops on Ukrainian soil, and warned that such a scenario could lead to a war with NATO.
“The corruption situation going on is not helpful,” the US president has said
Corruption remains one of Ukraine’s main problems, US President Donald Trump has said, while commenting on the prospects of brokering peace between Moscow and Kiev. He made the remarks just hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with a Ukrainian delegation in Florida.
Speaking to journalists aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said Ukraine has “some difficult problems.”
When asked to clarify, the president pointed to a “corruption situation going on, which is not helpful.”
Trump added that both Russia and Ukraine would like the conflict to end, and that “there’s a good chance we can make a deal.”
Ukraine was rocked by a major corruption scandal last month involving figures in Vladimir Zelensky’s inner circle. The country’s Western-backed anti-corruption agencies alleged that Timbur Mindich, the Ukrainian leader’s former longtime business partner, was the ringleader of a $100 million kickback scheme in the energy sector, which relies heavily on foreign aid. Mindich fled the country to evade arrest, apparently after being tipped off.
The scandal led to charges against seven people and the resignation of two government ministers, with opposition MPs claiming that more top officials may have been involved.
Another of Zelensky’s close associates, Andrey Yermak, resigned as his chief of staff last week after his apartment was raided by anti-corruption investigators. Although Yermak has not been charged, he said he stepped down to avoid causing “problems” for Zelensky.
Ukraine has faced several major corruption scandals in recent years. In 2023, kickbacks and embezzlement in defense contracts prompted the resignation of Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov.
The top US diplomat met with Kiev’s negotiators in Florida on Sunday
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 the official recognition of its new borders.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that a ceasefire was impossible for as long as Ukraine continues to occupy parts of Russian territory.
