Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked Donald Trump for his efforts to end the Ukraine war after Ukrainian and American officials held four hours of peace talks in Florida this weekend.
Zelensky said the head of his delegation had reported back on “some preliminary results” and called the talks “constructive”, days before a US envoy is due to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Trump also expressed optimism saying peace talks with Russia were “going along well”.
Secretary of state Marco Rubio told reporters that Sunday’s talks were “productive”.
“It’s not just about the terms that end fighting,” Mr Rubio said. “It’s about also the terms that set up Ukraine for long-term prosperity. I think we built on that today but there’s more work to be done.”Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to meet Putin in Moscow in the next few days.
Meanwhile, Turkey has criticised Ukraine’s military for targeting vessels in Russia’s “shadow fleet” with sea drones operating in the Black Sea. Turkish firefighters were engaged in trying to put out blazes on two ships near its coast, both of which have been subject to sanctions.
US holds talks with Kyiv – then on to Moscow
Donald Trump’s representatives met with Ukrainian officials over the weekend and plan to meet with the Russians later this week.
Ukraine’s national security council head Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s armed forces Andrii Hnatov, presidential adviser Oleksandr Bevz and others met with US officials for about four hours in Florida on Sunday.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the session was productive but more work remains to be done. Umerov praised the US for its support but offered no details on outcomes from the talks.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s former chief of staff and former lead negotiator for Ukraine, Andrii Yermak, resigned on Friday amid a corruption scandal and is no longer part of the negotiating team. It was only a week ago that Rubio met with Yermak in Geneva, resulting in a revised peace plan.
Trump said last week that he would send his envoy Steve Witkoff to Russia. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed Putin will host Witkoff for talks “in the first half” of the week.
Trump suggested he could eventually meet with Putin and Zelensky, but not until there has been more progress.
Witkoff’s role in the peace efforts came under scrutiny last week following a report that he coached Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, on how Russia’s leader should pitch Trump on the Ukraine peace plan.
Both Moscow and Washington downplayed the significance of the revelations.
Zelensky to make first official visit to Ireland
Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Ireland on Monday for his first official visit to the country, the Irish prime minister has announced.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the Ukrainian president will be joined by first lady Olena Zelenska for meetings with him, Irish president Catherine Connolly and foreign minister Helen McEntee.
Martin and Zelensky will also hold a bilateral discussion before attending the launch of the Ireland–Ukraine Economic Forum, created to deepen commercial ties between the two countries through business links, trade and investment.
“It is an honour to welcome President Zelensky and the First Lady to Ireland,” the Taoiseach said ahead of the visit.
“Around the world, he is rightly recognised as someone who embodies the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people, who have inspired the world in their brave defence of their country and its sovereignty since it was brutally and illegally invaded by Russia.
“I have met with President Zelensky many times, including in Kyiv, but I particularly look forward to greeting him on this first official visit of a Ukrainian president to Ireland.”
Ireland has been a firm supporter of Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, granting refuge to around 120,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war.
Ukrainian sea drones strike two Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tankers in the Black Sea
Ukrainian naval drones have struck two tankers linked to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” as they moved through the Black Sea, in what appears to be a sharp escalation of Kyiv’s efforts to target the revenue fuelling Moscow’s war.
Video has emerged purporting to show fast-moving waterborne drones slamming into the vessels and erupting into fireballs, sending thick plumes of smoke into the sky.
Turkish authorities identified the ships as the Kairos and the Virat, both sailing under the flag of the Gambia. The Kairos was hit off Turkey’s south-western coast on Friday and the Virat in a central area farther east; the Virat was reportedly struck a second time on Saturday. No crew injuries were reported.
The tankers are understood to belong to Russia’s “shadow fleet” – a term used for hundreds of older or obscurely owned ships that transport Russian oil in defiance of Western sanctions imposed after the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Data from the London Stock Exchange shows both vessels are already listed as subject to sanctions.
Ukraine used Sea Baby naval drones, a type of explosive-laden craft developed by the country’s security service, the SBU, for maritime attacks. Turkish officials said rescue teams had been supporting the damaged tankers and released video of Turkish boats attempting to extinguish the blaze aboard the Kairos.
The strikes serve as a pointed warning from Kyiv that ships moving Russian oil through the Black Sea could face direct attack, not merely financial restrictions.
In a separate incident, a key pipeline operator said it had halted loading at the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk after an overnight assault by unmanned boats damaged one of its mooring points.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium – majority-owned by Russia and Kazakhstan, with additional stakes held by Western energy giants including Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Shell – said the damage was significant.
Peace talks going along well, says Trump
President Trump said that talks about a peace deal with Russia were ‘going along well’ hours after secretary of state Marco Rubio met with Ukrainian officials and expressed optimism about progress despite challenges ending the war.
“They are going along and they are going along well,” he told Reuters. “We want to stop people from being killed.”On being asked about his interaction with Marco Rubio over the peace negotiations, he said: “I have spoken to them. They are doing well.
“Ukraine’s got some difficult little problems,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, referring to the corruption scandal, which he said was “not helpful.”
He repeated his view that both Russia and Ukraine wanted to end the war and said there was a good chance a deal could be reached.
Zelensky hails Trump’s commitment to ‘steps to end the war’
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday expressed cautious optimism about the latest round of discussions between Kyiv and Washington, describing the ongoing diplomatic engagement as both “constructive” and deeply focused on Ukraine’s core interests.
According to Zelensky, Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov reported back to him on “some preliminary results” from the talks in the United States.
Zelensky emphasised that “it is important that the talks have a constructive dynamic and that all issues were discussed openly and with a clear focus on ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and national interests”.
The president also underscored Ukraine’s appreciation for the level of engagement from Washington. He thanked the United States – specifically President Trump’s team, and the former president himself – for the “intensive” effort being invested into charting a path toward ending the war.
“I am grateful to the United States, to President Trump’s team, and to the President personally for the time that is being invested so intensively in defining the steps to end the war,” Zelensky said.
Russian drone attacks kill one and wound several
At least one person was killed and 19 others wounded in Russian drone and missile strikes, as US and Ukrainian officials met for peace talks.
President Volodymyr Zelensky claims Russia bombarded Ukraine with 122 drone strikes and two ballistic missiles.
It comes as Turkey condemned Ukraine’s use of a sea drone to target Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea.
Watch: Rubio says US-Ukraine talks on Russia war ‘productive’ but much work remains
Trump officials try to reassure Ukraine’s negotiators over peace deal
A delegation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s advisers and top officials met with lead U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Miami on Sunday ahead of a trip to meet with Russian leaders, including Vladimir Putin, on Tuesday.
On the agenda is the 28-point peace plan proposed by the U.S. this month, which has drawn apparent skepticism from both Ukraine and its European allies, given reports that it drew heavily from a Russian-authored plan submitted to the State Department in October.
John Bowden reports:
US ‘super supportive’, says Ukrainian delegate
Ukraine’s secretary of national security had thanked the US and its officials for their support earlier on Sunday.
“US is hearing us, US is supporting us, US is walking besides us,” Rustem Umerov said in English before the talks began.
After the meeting, he declared it productive. “We discussed all the important matters that are important for Ukraine, for Ukrainian people and US was super supportive,” he said.
In pictures: Crucial peace talks between US and Ukrainian officials kick off in Florida
