US, Ukrainian officials to continue discussing plan to end war in Ukraine

U.S. and Ukrainian officials will on Saturday continue discussions on a plan to end the war in Ukraine, the U.S. State Department said on Friday, at the end of the second day of meetings in Florida involving U.S. Special Envoy Steven Witkoff and Ukraine's senior negotiator Rustem Umerov.

"Both parties agreed that real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and cessation of killings," the State Department said in a statement.

They "also agreed on the framework of security arrangements and discussed necessary deterrence capabilities to sustain a lasting peace," it added.

Ryan Patrick Jones and Bhargav Acharya/Reuters