Ukraine should prepare for the possibility of continued hostilities in 2026, U. S. Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker said in an interview with Fox News.

He noted that the outcome of the upcoming meetings in Miami remains uncertain, but Kyiv must factor in a scenario of a prolonged conflict. According to Whitaker, the United States wants the war to end, while at the same time seeking to ensure that Ukraine retains the ability to defend itself. He stressed that entering the winter without a peace agreement would clearly indicate that the fighting will continue.

Earlier, Whitaker said that only nuances and technical details remain unresolved in the Ukrainian settlement. He added that negotiations scheduled for the weekend in Miami would show whether a deal is achievable. According to him, the talks are expected to focus on a settlement plan already approved by the European Union, Kyiv, and Washington.

On Wednesday, Politico reported, citing sources, that Russian and U.S. representatives may hold talks in Miami this weekend on a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Axios journalist Barak Ravid said that U.S. presidential envoy Steven Witkoff is set to meet in Miami on Friday with the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, as well as security advisers from Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.

In early December, Russian President Vladimir Putin received U.S. special envoy Steven Witkoff and U.S. president Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin. The sides spent about five hours discussing the substance of the American peace initiative, but failed to reach a compromise.

Putin later said that Washington had split the original 27-point plan into four separate packages and proposed reviewing them individually. He added that Moscow had examined nearly all of them, but disagreed with a number of the proposals.

On Sunday and Monday, delegations from the United States and Ukraine held talks in Berlin. According to reports, Western countries agreed to provide Ukraine with security guarantees similar to NATO’s Article Five. In return, the United States demanded territorial concessions from Kyiv, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk claimed.