On the eve of the meeting in Miami, Trump said that peace talks on Ukraine are “nearing completion”

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine are “getting close to something,” ahead of a weekend meeting in Miami between U.S. envoys and Russian officials.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump urged Ukraine to “act quickly,” an apparent reference to Russia’s recent battlefield gains.

“I hope Ukraine will act quickly, because Russia is already there,” Trump said, adding that delays could shift Russia’s position. “Every time they drag it out too long, Russia changes its mind,” he warned.

According to a White House official, Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner plan to meet a Russian delegation in Miami on Saturday. Russia is expected to be represented at the meeting by Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The talks will follow two days of discussions between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations in Berlin on Sunday and Monday, after which U.S. officials said they had concluded that the two sides’ positions are not that far apart. However, the most difficult issue—Russia’s insistence on obtaining Ukrainian territory as part of any settlement—remains unresolved.

Ukraine could receive NATO Article 5–style mutual defense security guarantees under the proposed peace agreement, U.S. representatives said on Monday.

The unprecedented proposal would require the United States and European allies to treat any attack on Ukraine as an attack on the “transatlantic community,” according to draft documents obtained by the media.

The proposed guarantees would apply for an initial period of ten years, with the option of extension by mutual agreement. Officials described the security guarantees as “similar to Article 5” in aspects such as oversight and conflict prevention.

Public opinion polls in Ukraine have shown that few Ukrainians are willing to accept territorial concessions, which remain Russia’s key condition for ending the war. Russia has shown little willingness to compromise on its demands.

Meanwhile, European Union leaders gathered in Brussels on Thursday to discuss using frozen Russian assets to provide Ukraine with a substantial loan for military and economic needs in 2026 and 2027.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the summit, warning that without additional funding by spring, Ukraine’s ability to produce drones and conduct long-range strikes would be significantly constrained.