US:Talks on Russia War End Constructive12/22 06:10

   A White House envoy said Sunday he held "productive and constructive" talks 
in Florida with Ukrainian and European representatives to end the nearly 
four-year war between Russia and Ukraine.

   (AP) -- A White House envoy said Sunday he held "productive and 
constructive" talks in Florida with Ukrainian and European representatives to 
end the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine.

   Posting on social media, Steve Witkoff said the talks aimed at aligning on a 
shared strategic approach between Ukraine, the United States and Europe.

   "Our shared priority is to stop the killing, ensure guaranteed security, and 
create conditions for Ukraine's recovery, stability, and long-term prosperity. 
Peace must be not only a cessation of hostilities, but also a dignified 
foundation for a stable future," U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy said.

   The talks are part of the Trump administration's monthslong push for peace. 
Trump has unleashed an extensive diplomatic push to end the war, but his 
efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands by Moscow and Kyiv. Putin has 
recently signaled he is digging in on his maximalist demands on Ukraine, as 
Moscow's troops inch forward on the battlefield despite huge losses.

   Positive assessments

   Witkoff's assessment comes as negotiations have been proceeding with Russia 
as well. A Kremlin envoy said Saturday that the talks were pressing on 
"constructively" in Florida.

   "The discussions are proceeding constructively. They began earlier and will 
continue today, and will also continue tomorrow," Kirill Dmitriev told 
reporters in Miami on Saturday. There were no immediate updates on the talks 
with Russia on Sunday.

   Dmitriev met with Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, Russian 
state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

   For Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram Sunday that 
diplomatic efforts were "moving forward quite quickly, and our team in Florida 
has been working with the American side."

   The Kremlin denied Sunday that trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia 
and the U.S. were under discussion, after Zelenskyy said Saturday that 
Washington had proposed the idea of three-way discussions.

   "At present, no one has seriously discussed this initiative, and to my 
knowledge it is not being prepared," Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign 
affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said, according to Russian state news agencies.

   Ukrainian civilians moved to Russia

   In Ukraine, the country's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets on Sunday 
accused Russian forces of forcibly removing about 50 Ukrainian civilians from 
the Ukrainian Sumy border region to Russian territory.

   Writing on Telegram, he said that Russian forces illegally detained the 
residents in the village of Hrabovske on Thursday, before moving them to Russia 
on Saturday.

   Lubinets said he contacted Russia's human rights commissioner, requesting 
information on the civilians' whereabouts and conditions, and demanding their 
immediate return to Ukraine.

   Possible French-Russian talks

   The French presidency on Sunday welcomed Putin's willingness to speak with 
President Emmanuel Macron, saying it would decide how to proceed "in the coming 
days."

   "As soon as the prospect of a ceasefire and peace negotiations becomes 
clearer, it becomes useful again to speak with Putin," Macron's office said in 
a statement. "It is welcome that the Kremlin publicly agrees to this approach."

   The statement came after reports that Putin was open to holding talks with 
the French president if there was mutual political will.

   European Union leaders agreed on Friday to provide 90 billion euros ($106 
billion) to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two 
years, although they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have 
allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds. Instead, they 
were borrowed from capital markets.