Finnish President Alexander Stubb cautioned European leaders that U.S. officials were likely maintaining simultaneous contact with Russia while conducting negotiations with Ukraine in Florida on Nov. 30.

The message came shortly after U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Dec. 2. Their trip added to growing unease in European capitals about Washington’s intentions as the latest effort to outline a peace framework advances.

European leaders reviewed the status of the ongoing talks, which have included earlier sessions in Geneva and a separate round in Florida. In Miami, Ukraine was represented by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, who met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Witkoff and Kushner. These meetings focused on revising the initial 28-point peace proposal.

According to the transcript, Stubb told French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and other European officials that he had spoken with Kushner after the U.S. delegation’s return from Moscow. He said it appeared the Americans had been in contact with Russian representatives while discussions with the Ukrainian side were still under way in Florida.

Stubb added that Kushner had portrayed the Moscow meeting as constructive, suggesting that most elements of the draft were already settled. However, the unresolved issue, he said, remained Russia’s expectation that Ukraine surrender territory, an outcome Kyiv continues to reject outright.

The transcript, first highlighted by Der Spiegel, notes that Zelensky had originally been expected to attend a full briefing with U.S. envoys in Brussels. Instead, he opted to dispatch lower-level officials to Miami on Dec. 4. Zelensky warned his counterparts that the Ukrainian team risked facing undue U.S. pressure if European leaders were not present at future sessions, reiterating that territorial matters could not be negotiated without his involvement.

Several participants voiced concerns that Washington might ultimately attempt to strike an arrangement with Moscow that would be unacceptable to both Ukraine and the EU. Macron remarked that there remained “a chance that the U.S. will betray” Ukraine over the issue of territory, especially without firm commitments on security guarantees.

Stubb encouraged leaders to take part directly in the upcoming rounds, stressing that Ukraine should not be left “alone with these guys.” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, however, warned that high-level European participation alongside Kushner and Witkoff could be perceived as a sign of weakness.

Throughout the call, European officials expressed frustration that the United States appeared to be conducting a parallel track with Russia while excluding EU national security advisers from key discussions. Leaders, including Macron, Rutte, Stubb, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, emphasized that any agreement must include binding security guarantees for Ukraine and maintain European control over decisions concerning frozen Russian assets.

Zelensky underscored that the coming days would be decisive. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz cautioned him to proceed carefully, noting that “they are playing games with both you and us.”

The discussion unfolded as President Trump increased his push for a negotiated end to the conflict. The original 28-point draft presented in November proposed limiting the size of Ukraine’s armed forces, freezing its NATO aspirations, and calling for withdrawals from areas currently controlled by Kyiv, conditions that alarmed European governments, many of which said they had not been consulted before the plan was made public.