JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Senior officers from Ukraine and the United States opened talks Tuesday centered on ending Moscow’s three-year war against Kyiv, hours after Russia shot down over 300 Ukrainian drones. It was Ukraine’s greatest assault for the reason that Kremlin ordered the full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
The talks within the Saudi metropolis of Jeddah come after President Donald Trump paused U.S. navy support to Ukraine final week, together with some intelligence sharing, in an try and strain Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to have interaction in negotiations to finish the warfare in opposition to Russia.
Trump particular envoy Steve Witkoff is predicted to journey later this week to Moscow, the place he may meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in keeping with an individual conversant in the matter however not licensed to remark publicly. The particular person cautioned that scheduling may change.
The temper throughout the room
Journalists had been briefly allowed in a room the place a senior Ukrainian delegation met with America’s prime diplomat, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who smiled on the cameras and when requested about his expectations for the assembly, gave a thumbs-up and replied, “Good.”
Throughout the desk, Ukrainian officers, together with the nation’s prime diplomat and protection chief, confirmed no facial expressions because the assembly received underway at a luxurious resort. Nevertheless, Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak instructed reporters that crucial factor was “how one can obtain a simply and lasting peace in Ukraine.” He stated security guarantees had been essential to stop Russia from invading once more sooner or later.
It was the primary assembly between the 2 sides for the reason that Oval Office blowup between Trump and Zelenskyy final month.
Saul Loeb/Pool Picture by way of Related Press
Saudi Arabia’s international minister was additionally readily available as American, Saudi and Ukrainian flags may very well be seen within the background. Officers didn’t reply any of the journalists’ shouted questions.
The delegations met for about three hours within the morning earlier than taking a break, and officers stated the talks continued within the afternoon.
There was additionally no quick remark from Ukrainian or U.S. officers on the huge assault through which 343 drones focused 10 Russian areas, leaving three individuals lifeless and 18 wounded, together with three kids, officers stated.
In the meantime, Russia launched 126 drones and a ballistic missile at Ukraine, the Ukrainian air drive stated, as a part of Moscow’s relentless pounding of civilian areas during the war.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated the US will inform Russia in regards to the outcomes of the Jeddah talks, which he described as “regular observe.”
Talks carry an opportunity to fix U.S.-Ukraine relations
The assembly in Jeddah supplied a possibility for Kyiv officers to restore Ukraine’s relationship with the Trump administration after an unprecedented argument erupted throughout Zelenskyy’s Feb. 28 visit to the White House.
Critically, Ukraine wants to steer Washington to finish the U.S. suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing after the blowout. U.S. officers have stated that constructive talks in Jeddah may imply that the pause is brief.
Ukrainian officers instructed The Related Press on Monday that they may suggest a ceasefire overlaying the Black Sea, which might carry safer transport, in addition to long-range missile strikes that have hit civilians in Ukraine, and the discharge of prisoners.
The 2 senior officers stated Kyiv can be able to signal an settlement with the US on entry to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals — a deal that Trump is eager to safe.
Whereas touring to Jeddah, Rubio stated the U.S. delegation wouldn’t be proposing any particular measures to safe an finish to the battle however fairly wished to listen to from Ukraine about what they might be prepared to think about.
“I’m not going to set any situations on what they should or have to do,” Rubio instructed reporters accompanying him. “I believe we need to take heed to see how far they’re prepared to go after which evaluate that to what the Russians need and see how far aside we really are.”
Rubio stated the uncommon earths and demanding minerals deal may very well be signed throughout the assembly, however he confused it was not a precondition for the US to maneuver forward with discussions with both Ukraine or the Russians.
He stated it could make extra sense to take a while to barter the exact particulars of the settlement, which is now a broad memorandum of understanding that leaves out many specifics.
The Kremlin is sticking to its situations for peace
The Kremlin has not publicly supplied any concessions. Russia has stated it’s able to stop hostilities given that Ukraine drops its bid to hitch NATO and acknowledges areas that Moscow occupies as Russian. Russia has captured practically a fifth of Ukraine’s territory.
Russian forces have held the battlefield momentum for greater than a yr, although at a excessive price in infantry and armor, and are pushing at chosen factors alongside the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) entrance line, particularly within the eastern Donetsk region, in opposition to Ukraine’s understrength and weary military.
Ukraine has invested closely in growing its arms trade, particularly high-tech drones that have reached deep into Russia.
Many of the Ukrainian drones fired in a single day — 126 of them — had been shot down over the Kursk area throughout the border from Ukraine, components of which Kyiv’s forces management, and 91 had been shot down over the Moscow area, in keeping with a press release by Russia’s Protection Ministry.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated over 70 drones focused the Russian capital and had been shot down as they had been flying towards it — the most important single assault on Moscow thus far within the warfare.
The governor of the Moscow area surrounding the capital, Andrei Vorobyov, stated the assault broken a number of residential buildings and quite a lot of vehicles.
Flights had been quickly restricted out and in of six airports, together with Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky simply outdoors Moscow, and airports within the Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod areas.
Related Press writers Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.
Observe AP’s protection of the warfare in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
