Talks to end the Russo-Ukrainian War seem to be progressing. There may be some reason for cautious optimism. On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff recently met with Ukrainian delegates in Florida. After the meetings, Secretary Rubio sounded optimistic.
.@SecRubio on Ukraine peace talks in Florida: "This is not just about ending a war. This is about ending a war in a way that creates a mechanism and a way forward that will allow them to be independent and sovereign [and] never have another war again." pic.twitter.com/2oEGtelFSM
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 30, 2025
The Secretary of State said:
The end goal is obviously not just the end of the war, obviously, that's central and fundamental, to want to see the end of the killing, and the death, and the suffering, and I'm sure the Ukrainian side — I know they do as well, they want peace. But it's also about securing and end to the war, that leaves Ukraine sovereign, and independent, and with an opportunity at real prosperity.
So this is not just about ending a war. This is about ending a war in a way that creates a mechanism and a way forward that will allow them to be independent and sovereign and never have another war again, and create tremendous prosperity for its people. Not just rebuild the country, but to enter an era of extraordinary economic progress. It's a country with... Ukraine has tremendous economic potential.
Ukraine has tremendous opportunity for true prosperity. Obviously, you can't do that in the middle of a war like this. But ending the war alone won't achieve that. So, this is not just about peace deals. It's about creating a pathway forward that leaves Ukraine sovereign, independent, and prosperous. And so we expect to make even more progress today.
Secretary of State Rubio did not mention any specifics in this statement, but we do know that a proposed peace deal has been kicked back and forth through several iterations, and it's likely that this round of meetings may provide another.
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The next step will see Special Envoy Steve Witkoff heading to Moscow, where he will meet with parties yet unnamed, but presumably including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, to discuss the matter further.
Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, will travel to Moscow on Monday, a U.S. official tells Fox News.
The trip comes as peace talks between Ukraine and Russia show signs of progress, with the White House pushing a peace plan to end the nearly four-year-long war.
It seems probable that the Donbass will be the major point of contention. Russia wants the region, which is laced with ethnic Russians, and already holds much of it. Ukraine has stated flatly that the nation will never surrender any territory as long as Volodymyr Zelensky is president, and it doesn't look like he's going anywhere anytime soon. President Trump wants a peace deal. Secretary of State Rubio wants a peace deal. It seems certain that most of the long-suffering Ukrainian and Russian peoples would like to have a peace deal. The question is, how badly do Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin want a peace deal, and what are they willing to give up to get one?
This thing can't go on forever. Perhaps the Trump administration can broker a deal that will end it. If so, this will be an enormous feather in President Trump's cap. If not...
Editor's Note: This article was updated post-publication for clarity.
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