Umerov’s secret meetings with the FBI in Miami suggest he’s preparing Zelenskyy’s personal security and life after Ukraine, not negotiating peace or state-level solutions.
The Washington Post, citing four informed sources, reported:
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, head of the Ukrainian delegation at the “peace talks,” was simultaneously holding private meetings with the FBI director and his deputy.
1. Why this is definitely not about peace negotiations.
The FBI does not deal with:
- borders;
- ceasefires;
- peace formulas;
- state security guarantees.
The FBI deals with:
- personal accountability;
- money, schemes, accounts;
- jurisdictions;
- immunity conditions;
- individual guarantees.
When the head of the Ukrainian delegation secretly meets not with the State Department or the Pentagon, but with the FBI leadership, the conversation is not about Ukraine as a state, but about specific individuals.
This is exactly why this story caused concern among allies.
2. Why Miami is fundamentally important.
The Washington Post notes another detail:
Three trips by Umerov to Miami for meetings with Trump’s special envoy Witkoff — alongside parallel, non-public contacts with the FBI.
Not Washington.
Not official institutions.
Not public formats.
Miami is a classic place for:
- unofficial agreements;
- legal consultations;
- preparation for a change of status;
- “quiet” negotiations ahead of political upheavals.
This is NOT how peace is prepared.
This is how life after a major defeat or major change is prepared.
3. A fact that dispels all illusions: family and the U.S.
A key detail that cannot be ignored:
- Umerov’s family lives in the U.S.;
- they are in the process of obtaining citizenship;
- his assets and life center are concentrated there.
This means one simple thing:
Umerov thinks not in terms of “how Ukraine will survive,”
but in terms of “how to live after Ukraine.”
In this configuration, he is not just a negotiator.
He is an insurance guarantor.
4. Amnesty instead of an audit — the main trail.
The West’s initial position was clear: after the active phase of the war — an audit of decisions, finances, procurements, and powers.
Then another logic emerged:
Amnesty for actions taken during the war instead of a full audit.
This is not reform.
This is indulgence.
What happened:
- The idea of amnesty was pushed through;
- under pressure, it was removed from public formulations;
- but the audit was never reinstated.
In other words, the agreement remained — it just became quieter.
5. Who this game is really for.
An important clarification.
This is not a conversation about “after Zelenskyy.”
This is a conversation about Zelenskyy after Ukraine.
About:
- where he will be;
- under which jurisdiction;
- with what status;
- with what guarantees;
- and without any audit.
In this scheme, Umerov does not appear as a politician, but as:
- a personal security guarantor;
- a mediator between the U.S. legal system and the Presidential Office;
- a person who records: “I am a technocrat, not a decision-maker.”
6. Why the West is nervous (and why WP highlighted this).
The Washington Post does not just report the fact.
It explicitly points out: the contacts caused concern.
Because for the West, this is a signal:
- part of the Ukrainian leadership is securing themselves separately;
- a scenario is forming without Ukraine as an actor;
- instead of a state transition, a personal deal is taking place.
Conclusion:
The WP publication is not an accidental leak.
It is a warning.
If we put all the facts together:
FBI
Miami
Closed format
No audit
American jurisdiction
Family and assets in the U.S.
The simple formula emerges:
Umerov is NOT preparing peace.
Umerov is preparing Zelenskyy’s life after Ukraine.
This is exactly why he led the delegation.
Because when the matter is no longer about the state, but about responsibility, guarantees, and escape from history, negotiations become personal, not diplomatic.
As we can see, the stage is being prepared for Zelenskyy.
Now it is only a question of the price of that stage and whether he will be allowed to pay it.
Oleksandr Bryhynets
Tags: elite dynamics leadership transition political analysis post-war Ukraine Rustem Umerov Ukraine Politics zelenskyy
