Rubio says US-Ukraine talks on Russia war were productive but much work remains in search of a deal

U S Secretary of State Marco Rubio talks to the press at the U S Mission to International Organizations in Geneva Switzerland Sunday Nov Martial Trezzini Keystone via AP AP Martial Trezzini U S Secretary of State Marco Rubio talks to the press at the U S Mission to International Organizations in Geneva Switzerland Sunday Nov Martial Trezzini Keystone via AP AP Martial Trezzini HALLANDALE BEACH Fla AP U S and Ukrainian administrators completed roughly four hours of talks Sunday aimed at finding an endgame to the war between Russia and Ukraine Secretary of State Marco Rubio advised reporters afterward that the session was productive but work remains in the search for a peace deal It s not just about the terms that ends fighting Rubio announced It s about also the terms that set up Ukraine for long-term prosperity I think we build on that in contemporary times but there s more work to be done THIS IS A CURRENT NEWS UPDATE AP s earlier story follows below HALLANDALE BEACH Fla AP Top Trump administration functionaries met with Ukrainian negotiators in Florida on Sunday pushing to broker an end to Russia s war in Ukraine and setting the stage for key talks planned this week in Moscow with Russian leader Vladimir Putin Secretary of State Marco Rubio special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner the son-in-law of President Donald Trump held talks with a Ukrainian delegation to further hash out the details of a proposed peace framework The negotiations come at a sensitive moment for Ukraine as it continues to push back against Russian forces that invaded in while dealing with a domestic corruption shame Diplomats have been focused on revisions to a proposed -point plan developed in negotiations between Washington and Moscow That plan has been criticized as being too weighted toward Russian demands As the meeting began Sunday Rubio focused on reassuring Ukraine The end goal is obviously not just the end of the war Rubio revealed in brief remarks But it s also about securing an end to the war that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity at real prosperity This is not just about peace deals the top American diplomat declared as the teams sat down at the Shell Bay Club a golf and racket club developed by Witkoff in Hallandale Beach Rustem Umerov head of Ukraine s precaution council responded to Rubio by expressing his country s appreciation for U S efforts a message geared toward Trump who has at times claimed that Ukraine has not been sufficiently grateful for U S assistance during the war U S is hearing us Umerov noted U S is supporting us U S is working beside us Umerov has been involved in ongoing talks But until now Ukraine s head negotiator had been Andrii Yermak the powerful chief of staff of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy On Friday Zelenskyy stated the resignation of Yermak after his home was searched by anti-corruption investigators Zelenskyy s regime has been roiled by fallout from a controversy over million embezzled from the power sector through kickbacks paid by contractors causing newfound domestic pressures for Zelenskyy It was only a week ago that Rubio had met with Yermak in Geneva with each side saying the talks had been positive in putting together a revised peace plan Among the other members of the Ukrainian delegation were Andrii Hnatov the head of Ukraine s armed forces and presidential adviser Oleksandr Bevz The plan which Trump has since played down as a concept or a map to be fine-tuned would have imposed limits on the size of Ukraine s military blocked the country from joining NATO and required Ukraine to hold elections in days Negotiators have indicated the framework has changed but it s not clear how its provisions have been altered It had initially envisioned Ukraine ceding the entire eastern region of the Donbas to Russia a sticking point for Kyiv Trump revealed on Tuesday that he would send Witkoff and perhaps Kushner to Moscow this week to meet with Putin about the plan Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in comments published Sunday on Russian state television mentioned Putin would see Witkoff before Thursday when Putin departs for India Both Witkoff and Kushner like Trump hail from the world of real estate that values dealmaking over the conventions of diplomacy The pair also were behind a -point proposal that led to a ceasefire in Gaza Zelenskyy wrote on X that the Ukrainian delegation would swiftly and substantively work out the efforts needed to end the war In his nightly address on Saturday Zelenskyy disclosed the American side was demonstrating a constructive approach In the coming days it is feasible to flesh out the attempts to determine how to bring the war to a dignified end he noted Attacks continue despite diplomatic efforts to end the war On Saturday Russian drone and missile attacks in and around Ukraine s capital Kyiv killed at least three people and wounded dozens more representatives explained Fresh attacks overnight into Sunday killed one person and wounded others including four children local authorities mentioned when a drone hit a nine-story apartment block in the city of Vyshhorod in the Kyiv region In a post on Telegram Sunday Zelenskyy stated Russia had attacked Ukraine with strike drones and ballistic missiles Such attacks occur daily This week alone Russians have used nearly strike drones guided aerial bombs and missiles against our people That is why we must strengthen Ukraine s resilience every day Missiles and air defense systems are necessary and we must also actively work with our partners for peace Zelenskyy declared We need real reliable solutions that will help end the war he added After Ukraine claimed responsibility for damaging a major oil terminal on Saturday near the Russian port of Novorossiysk owned by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium Kazakhstan communicated Ukraine on Sunday to stop attacking the Black Sea terminal The CPC pipeline which starts in Kazakhstan and ends at the Novorossisyk terminal handles a large proportion of Kazakhstan s oil exports We view what has occurred as an action harming the bilateral relations of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Ukraine and we expect the Ukrainian side to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future Kazakhstan s Foreign Ministry announced in a announcement Madhani stated from Washington Associated Press writer Elise Morton in London contributed to this statement - Follow AP s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https apnews com hub russia-ukraine Source