Russia said it saw only “slow progress” in US-led talks on proposals to end its war with Ukraine, as a Russian general was killed in Moscow in a bomb attack that investigators believe could have been masterminded by Kyiv’s security services.
“Slow progress is apparent,” Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday, after a weekend of separate talks in Miami between US envoys and negotiators from Ukraine and Russia.
“It is accompanied ... by extremely harmful, malicious attempts by an influential group of states to torpedo these efforts and derail this diplomatic process. This must be resisted. We call on the American administration to actively resist this,” Mr Ryabkov added, repeating claims that Ukraine and European powers are trying to scupper the talks.
Meanwhile, US vice-president JD Vance told the UnHerd media outlet: “I think that we’ve made progress, but ... I wouldn’t say with confidence that we’re going to get to a peaceful resolution.”
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A Ukrainian delegation led by Rustem Umerov, the head of the country’s national security and defence council, met several times over the weekend with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The Americans also met Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev.
Mr Witkoff did not give the US view on the talks, but said on social media that Mr Dmitriev “held productive and constructive meetings with the American delegation to advance president [Donald] Trump’s peace plan on Ukraine.
“Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine. Russia highly values the efforts and support of the United States to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and re-establish global security.”
In response, Mr Dmitriev wrote: “Thank you, Peacemakers, for your dedicated and tireless Peace work – despite the well-funded warmonger attacks. You have achieved great success on Gaza peace and in life and could have just focused on other things. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”
Mr Witkoff, a real estate tycoon, is prominent in Mr Trump’s push to end Europe’s biggest war since 1945, and has formed strong ties with Mr Dmitriev, a former Wall Street banker.
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They reportedly played leading roles in drafting a 28-point framework peace plan that was leaked to the press last month, and alarmed Ukraine and its European allies by proposing to meet all of Russia’s key demands and ignoring Kyiv’s “red lines”.
Intense diplomacy by Kyiv and major European capitals has resulted in revised proposals that Russian officials say are unlikely to meet Kremlin approval.
Mr Umerov said the Ukrainian delegation’s talks with US and European officials in Miami were “productive and constructive”, and national security advisers had discussed “a shared strategic approach between Ukraine, the United States, and Europe”.
The US and Ukrainian envoys also discussed security guarantees for Ukraine and an “economic and prosperity plan” for the country, he said.
Meanwhile in Moscow, Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, the head of the Russian general staff’s army operational training directorate, was killed early on Monday morning when his car exploded as he pulled out of a parking area in a residential district of the city.
“Investigators are working on several theories about the murder. One of them is a theory connected to this being a crime organised by the Ukrainian special services,” Russia’s investigative committee said in a statement.
Ukraine did not immediately comment on the incident, but its operatives are suspected of involvement in Moscow bomb attacks that have killed two other Russian lieutenant generals since last December: Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the main operations directorate of the general staff; and Igor Kirillov, chief of Russia’s nuclear, biological and chemical protection troops.
