(MENAFN- Gulf Times) A meeting between US and Ukrainian officials in Florida Sunday was "very productive," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, adding that work still remains towards ending Russia's war in Ukraine.

"There are a lot of moving parts, and obviously there's another party involved here that will have to be a part of the equation, and that will continue later this week, when Mr. Witkoff travels to Moscow, although we've also been in touch in varying degrees with the Russian side, but we have a pretty good understanding of their views as well," Rubio told reporters.

Rubio Sunday hosted high stakes talks with a Ukrainian delegation on Washington's plan to end Russia's war with its neighbour -- discussions a source close to Kyiv's team characterized as "not easy."

The talks in Florida come as Kyiv faces mounting military and political pressure, along with the fallout from a corruption scandal. They could set the stage for next week's visit to Moscow by President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, who is expected to discuss Ukraine diplomacy.

"This is not just about peace deals. It's about creating a pathway forward that leaves Ukraine sovereign, independent and prosperous," Rubio said at the start of the negotiations.

Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner were also attending the meeting in Hallandale Beach, north of Miami.

Ukraine's security council secretary Rustem Umerov led Kyiv's delegation, which also included Andrii Hnatov, the chief of staff of Ukraine's armed forces, and presidential adviser Oleksandr Bevz.

"We 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," Umerov said as the talks kicked off.

A source close to the Kyiv delegation, however, cautioned that "the process is not easy because the search for formulations and solutions continues." The exchanges had nevertheless been "constructive," the source said.

The US talks come amid turbulence for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his government. A blockbuster corruption probe forced him to sack his chief of staff and top negotiator, Andriy Yermak, on Friday.

Washington has put forward a plan to end the nearly four-year conflict and is seeking to finalize it with Moscow and Kyiv's approval.

An initial 28-point proposal -- drafted without input from Ukraine's European allies -- would have seen Kyiv withdraw from its eastern Donetsk region and the United States de facto recognize the Donetsk, Crimea and Lugansk regions as Russian.

The United States pared back the original draft following criticism from Kyiv and Europe, but the current contents remain unclear.

Marco Rubio war Ukrainian delegation

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