The Ukrainian negotiating team left the Miami talks early this Friday after nearly eight hours of meetings with representatives of President Donald Trump. This occurred after Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner warned that Washington could suspend intelligence sharing with Kyiv if Ukraine did not halt its attacks on Russian refineries, according to journalist Christopher Miller from the Financial Times.
Far from backing down, a high-ranking Ukrainian official responded with a defiant statement: "We will burn the [Russian] refineries." Hours later, Ukrainian forces attacked the Yug Rusi oil terminal in Rostov-on-Don, confirming that Kyiv has no intention of halting its campaign against the Kremlin's energy infrastructure.
The Miami meeting, scheduled for two days, derailed from the outset when the Ukrainian delegation was caught off guard by Trump's announcement of an agreement with Vladímir Putin to allow the supply of Russian diesel to the United States and international markets.
Three people with direct knowledge of the discussions confirmed to the Financial Times that this announcement destabilized the negotiations before they could progress.
The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky described the agreement as "weak," "unfair," and "dishonest," labeling it a "gift for Putin" that would provide Moscow with more resources to sustain the war. Zelensky also proposed a solution: to suspend attacks on refineries if Russia simultaneously halted its bombings against Ukrainian energy infrastructure, a proposal that did not gain traction.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury supported the agreement with the General License 135 from OFAC, which authorizes the sale, delivery, and importation of Russian diesel, effective until approximately April 7, 2027.
A U.S. official denied that Witkoff and Kushner had made an explicit threat, although he confirmed that Washington expected reciprocity from Kyiv and that Ukrainian actions should not harm American consumers.
Ukraine is using U.S. intelligence to carry out attacks on Russian refineries with the aim of choking off a vital source of income for Moscow's war economy.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense stated that the campaign has rendered 51% of Russia's refining capacity inoperable—an unverified figure—while the International Energy Agency estimated a 30% drop in Russian diesel production.
The attack on the Yug Rusi terminal, which has a designed capacity of approximately 2.5 million tons of petroleum products per year and supplies both exports and the Russian military, was confirmed by regional governor Yuri Sliusar. Russian air defenses intercepted at least 50 drones in the region overnight, and no casualties were reported.
The Ukrainian delegation in Miami consisted of Kyrylo Budanov, Rustem Umerov, Sergiy Kyslytsya, and Davyd Arakhamia. Witkoff described the talks as "productive," although no specific agreement or progress towards a ceasefire was announced.
The tension between Trump and Zelenski has intensified in recent weeks after Trump directly blamed Ukraine and the Democrats for the high price of gasoline in the United States on October 7.
The Trump-Putin agreement on Russian diesel marks a significant shift in Washington's energy policy towards Moscow, and the second round of talks scheduled for this Saturday will not take place following the early departure of the Ukrainian delegation.
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