Three individuals briefed on the discussions told a broadcaster that envoys dispatched by President Donald Trump conveyed to Ukrainian counterparts on Friday that allowing Russian diesel to move through export channels is part of a broader effort to draw Moscow back into direct talks, after earlier contact between the parties had not produced any durable pathway toward ending the war.

Two sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that at a Miami meeting, Steve Witkoff — who serves as Middle East envoy — and Jared Kushner conveyed to Ukrainian officials that Putin had no readiness to negotiate a conclusion to the conflict in Ukraine, now in its fourth year and a half, and that the agreement announced the previous week held potential for reviving three-way discussions.

According to one individual, Washington conveyed to Kyiv that the fuel arrangement had the potential to ease Moscow's stance, partly because it would demonstrate an openness on Trump's part to engaging with Russia.

The agreement — covering delivery of more than 2.25 million barrels of diesel to American and international markets — has drawn objections from a number of legislators in the United States, who contend that the arrangement would channel revenue to Moscow without requiring any diplomatic movement toward ending the conflict.

On Monday, Trump offered public backing for the deal, calling it the right path forward for Americans, and made the case that the agreement stood to lower household energy costs — a matter that has placed his party on the defensive as the congressional midterm cycle moves into view.

According to two people familiar with the discussion, Kushner told those present that the administration had raised the matter of pausing Ukrainian strikes on Russian fuel infrastructure more than once.

One individual present at the talks relayed that the view expressed was that the moment had arrived for the other party to take action.

On Sunday, Trump put forward a truce covering energy infrastructure between Russia and Ukraine, the proposal arriving within days of a separate diesel-related accord that had already been announced. Neither party to the conflict has verified the ceasefire arrangement, while attacks on Ukrainian power infrastructure by Russian forces took place on Monday.

Neither the Russian embassy in Washington nor Kyiv's presidential office had replied to requests for comment by the time of publication.

An individual with ties to the Kremlin described the fuel agreement as a pathway through which Russia could re-enter the talks. According to an individual with knowledge of the discussions, the fuel arrangement represents only one thread within a broader set of talks aimed at drawing both sides back to peace negotiations.

Security guarantees for Ukraine formed part of the discussions at the gathering. On multiple occasions, Trump has put forward the position that Putin is open to a negotiated end to the conflict. Scepticism about whether the conflict would wind down any time soon has been voiced by officials in both Ukraine and across Europe.

Analysts who have weighed in on the diesel arrangement argue that its effect on domestic fuel costs is likely to be negligible, pointing out that the volume of product being added to the market falls short of what the country's freight and transport sector alone burns through in a single day.

Three sources — two of them briefed on the proceedings and one present at the table — indicated that officials from Ukraine who attended the talks held reservations about the direction Washington was taking, viewing commercial arrangements with Russia as a form of accommodation toward Moscow rather than a path to resolution.

Offers of sanctions relief and potential mineral agreements formed part of earlier White House efforts to draw Putin toward a deal. On Russia's core positions, neither party has moved far enough to bring about an all-encompassing ceasefire deal.

A source described as close to the Kremlin indicated that a return to negotiations by Putin hinges on securing the remaining 11 per cent of the Donbas region — territory that, in their assessment, would allow him to frame the outcome as a victory at home — while Ukraine's stated position holds that no further land transfers are acceptable, though a halt to hostilities along current front lines could form the foundation of a ceasefire arrangement.

At the Miami gathering, Kushner and Witkoff laid out for Ukrainian representatives the extent of American backing their country had received — a person familiar with the talks said this encompassed both battlefield assistance and intelligence cooperation extended to Kyiv's forces.

No threat to cut off military assistance was conveyed by the U.S. side as a condition for Ukraine halting its drone and missile strikes on Russian oil facilities, according to three sources — two of whom had been briefed on the discussions and one who attended the meeting directly.

Held in Miami, the gathering drew in European officials alongside World Bank representatives joining by video link, and it took place on the heels of trips Witkoff and Kushner had made to both Moscow and Kyiv the previous month. At that point, Witkoff described the atmosphere between the parties as one of fresh momentum, adding that another round of negotiations looked set to get under way before long. No statement from the World Bank was made available on the matter.

Relations between Washington and Kyiv grew strained in the wake of a reported fuel agreement between the United States and Russia. Zelenskiy described the decision as inadequate and advantageous to Putin, while Trump, speaking on Saturday, contended that Zelenskiy had passed up multiple opportunities to end the conflict and suggested Ukraine's leadership needed to change.

The Miami talks, which ran for several hours, also covered post-war reconstruction financing for Ukraine and the need for Kyiv to put forward formalised investment proposals. No formal commitments came out of the talks on the Ukrainian side, though delegates indicated a readiness to accept a halt to strikes on energy infrastructure, provided Russia took the same step.