(MENAFN) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff on Sunday conducted negotiations with a Ukrainian delegation in Hallandale Beach, Florida as Washington advances a revised peace blueprint to resolve the Ukraine crisis.

"The end goal, obviously, is not just the end of the war," Rubio said in brief remarks before the meeting. "But it's also about securing an end to the war that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity at real prosperity."

Rustem Umerov, head of the Ukrainian delegation, said the two sides are discussing "about the future of Ukraine, about the security of Ukraine, about no repetition of aggression of Ukraine, about prosperity of Ukraine, about how to rebuild Ukraine."

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X that the Ukrainian delegation will "swiftly and substantively work out the steps needed to end the war."

"In the coming days it is feasible to flesh out the steps to determine how to bring the war to a dignified end," Zelensky said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that he will meet with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts only when the peace deal "is final or in its final stages."

The high-stakes discussions mark a pivotal moment in diplomatic efforts to terminate the protracted conflict that has devastated the region.

MENAFN01122025000045017169ID1110417259