JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Senior officers from Ukraine and america opened talks Tuesday targeted on ending Moscow’s three-year warfare towards Kyiv, hours after Russia shot down over 300 Ukrainian drones. It was Ukraine’s largest 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. army help to Ukraine final week, together with some intelligence sharing, in an try to strain Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to interact in negotiations to finish the warfare towards 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 aware of the matter however not licensed to remark publicly. The individual cautioned that scheduling may change.
The temper throughout the room
Journalists have been briefly allowed in a room the place a senior Ukrainian delegation met with America’s high 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 high diplomat and protection chief, confirmed no facial expressions because the assembly bought underway at a luxurious lodge. Nonetheless, Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak instructed reporters that an important factor was “how to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.” He mentioned safety ensures have 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 Workplace blowup between Trump and Zelenskyy final month.
Saul Loeb/Pool Photograph through Related Press
Saudi Arabia’s overseas minister was additionally readily available as American, Saudi and Ukrainian flags could possibly 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 mentioned the talks continued within the afternoon.
There was additionally no speedy remark from Ukrainian or U.S. officers on the large assault wherein 343 drones focused 10 Russian areas, leaving three individuals useless and 18 wounded, together with three youngsters, officers mentioned.
In the meantime, Russia launched 126 drones and a ballistic missile at Ukraine, the Ukrainian air power mentioned, as a part of Moscow’s relentless pounding of civilian areas throughout the warfare.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned america will inform Russia in regards to the outcomes of the Jeddah talks, which he described as “normal practice.”
Talks deliver 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 go to to the White Home.
Critically, Ukraine wants to influence Washington to finish the U.S. suspension of army help and intelligence sharing after the blowout. U.S. officers have mentioned that optimistic talks in Jeddah may imply that the pause is brief.
Ukrainian officers instructed The Related Press on Monday that they’ll suggest a ceasefire overlaying the Black Sea, which might deliver safer delivery, in addition to long-range missile strikes that have hit civilians in Ukraine, and the discharge of prisoners.
The 2 senior officers mentioned Kyiv can also be able to signal an settlement with america on entry to Ukraine’s uncommon earth minerals — a deal that Trump is eager to safe.
Whereas touring to Jeddah, Rubio mentioned the U.S. delegation wouldn’t be proposing any particular measures to safe an finish to the battle however quite wished to listen to from Ukraine about what they might be keen to contemplate.
“I’m not going to set any conditions on what they have to or need to do,” Rubio instructed reporters accompanying him. “I think we want to listen to see how far they’re willing to go and then compare that to what the Russians want and see how far apart we truly are.”
Rubio mentioned the uncommon earths and important minerals deal could possibly be signed throughout the assembly, however he harassed it was not a precondition for america to maneuver forward with discussions with both Ukraine or the Russians.
He mentioned it might 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 circumstances for peace
The Kremlin has not publicly supplied any concessions. Russia has mentioned 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 value in infantry and armor, and are pushing at chosen factors alongside the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) entrance line, particularly within the japanese Donetsk area, towards Ukraine’s understrength and weary military.
Ukraine has invested closely in creating its arms business, particularly high-tech drones which have reached deep into Russia.
Many of the Ukrainian drones fired in a single day — 126 of them — have been shot down over the Kursk area throughout the border from Ukraine, elements of which Kyiv’s forces management, and 91 have been shot down over the Moscow area, in keeping with an announcement by Russia’s Protection Ministry.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin mentioned over 70 drones focused the Russian capital and have been shot down as they have been flying towards it — the largest single assault on Moscow to this point within the warfare.
The governor of the Moscow area surrounding the capital, Andrei Vorobyov, mentioned the assault broken a number of residential buildings and plenty of automobiles.
Flights have 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.
Comply with AP’s protection of the warfare in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
