US officials kick off Ukraine talks in Florida: Not just about 'peace deals',

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday kicked off high stakes talks with a Ukrainian delegation in Florida, as the United States pushes to end Russia's war against its neighbour. 

"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 meeting.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner were also attending the meeting.

BBC reported that the talks are "productive", quoting Rubio, but that "more work" is needed.

The Ukrainian delegation was led by security council secretary Rustem Umerov. 

"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.

In a separate post on the platform X, Umerov said he was in "constant contact" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as the meeting progressed.

"We have clear directives and priorities: safeguarding Ukrainian interests, ensuring substantive dialogue, and advancing on the basis of the progress achieved in Geneva," he wrote on X.

"We are working to secure real peace for Ukraine and reliable, long-term security guarantees. The delegation will report to the President of Ukraine following the conclusion of today’s meetings."

The Florida talks are expected to build on negotiations a week ago in Geneva between Americans, Ukrainians and Europeans.

Washington has put forward a plan to end the more than three-year conflict that it is seeking to finalise 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.

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