US-Ukraine talks shall be held in Saudi Arabia subsequent week, President Volodymyr Zelensky has mentioned, expressing hopes that it is going to be “a significant assembly”.
The Ukrainian chief, who shall be within the Gulf kingdom however not participate within the talks, mentioned Kyiv was working to succeed in a “quick and lasting” peace.
US President Donald Trump’s particular envoy, Steve Witkoff, mentioned the American crew wished to debate a “framework” for peace to attempt to finish the Russia-Ukraine struggle.
Final Friday, Zelensky and Trump had been concerned in a public conflict on the White Home – throughout which Trump mentioned Zelensky was not prepared to finish the combating. The US proceeded to pause army help to Ukraine and cease sharing intelligence.
The Ukrainian president has expressed remorse concerning the incident and tried to restore relations with the US – the nation’s greatest army provider.
On Thursday, Witkoff mentioned Trump had acquired a letter from Zelensky that included an “apology” and “sense of gratitude”.
“Hopefully, we get issues again on monitor with the Ukrainians, and all the things resumes,” Witkoff mentioned.
Zelensky has been beneath sturdy US stress to make concessions forward of any peace talks, whereas the Ukrainian president has been pushing for agency safety ensures for Kyiv.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and now controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.
The combating continues, with Ukraine on Thursday evening reporting a “huge missile and drone” assault on its vitality infrastructure.
The Polish army additionally mentioned it was compelled to scramble fighter jets and activate ground-based air defence programs amid the assault, which threatened areas so far as western Ukraine.
Zelensky introduced the US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia in a collection of posts on social media, after attending Thursday’s disaster summit in Brussels the place European Union leaders endorsed plans for a lift in defence spending.
“Ukrainian and American groups have resumed work, and we hope that subsequent week we may have a significant assembly,” he wrote on X.
“Ukraine has been in search of peace for the reason that very first second of the struggle, and we’ve got at all times said that the struggle continues solely due to Russia.”
Zelensky urged the worldwide group to place extra stress on Moscow so it “accepts the necessity to finish” the struggle.
He additionally made an obvious reference to a truce plan outlined earlier this week by French President Emmanuel Macron, which proposed a ceasefire within the air and at sea, and an finish to assaults on vitality and different civilian infrastructure.
Russia has not publicly commented on the French proposals.
On Thursday, Putin mentioned Moscow was in search of a peace “that might guarantee calmness for our nation within the long-term perspective.
“We do not want something that belongs to others, however we cannot quit something that belongs to us both,” the Kremlin chief added.
China’s Overseas Minister Wang Yi mentioned he hopes a “truthful, lasting, binding peace settlement that each facet can settle for” could possibly be struck.
Russia annexed Ukraine’s southern Crimea peninsula in 2014, and claims one other 4 Ukrainian areas within the south-east as its personal – though Moscow would not absolutely management them.
Ukraine and its European allies have in current weeks expressed alarm over what many on the continent see as Donald Trump’s overtures to Russia.
Trump vowed through the US election marketing campaign to carry the struggle to an finish shortly, and preliminary US-Russian talks had been held in Saudi Arabia final month – with out European or Ukrainian representatives current.
The US’s resolution to halt its army help Ukraine has been forged by Trump administration officers as a way of getting Kyiv to co-operate with the US-led peace talks.
Any corresponding stress the US has been placing on Moscow to make concessions has not been made public.
