Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Sunday that talks between the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations in the Saudi capital Riyadh were "productive and focused" and discussed "key issues, including energy." The talks took place the day before US officials meet with the Russian delegation.
In a post on the social media platform X, Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation, stressed that President Volodymyr Zelensky's goal of "to ensure a just and lasting peace" for Ukraine and the whole of Europe, and declared.We are working to make this goal a reality."
According to Ukrinform, the Ukrainian delegation also included State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oleksandr Karasevich, deputy heads of the presidential office - Pavlo Palisa and Ihor Zhovkva - and Deputy Energy Minister Mykola Kolisnyk.
Palisa confirmed the same day that they would not meet the Russian delegation in Riyadh.
In a video broadcast on Sunday evening, Zelensky said the talks that day between U.S. and Ukrainian officials were "very productive." He also called on all sides to keep up the pressure on Russia to reach a "real" ceasefire.
The talks took place nearly two weeks after a previous meeting between the two sides in the Saudi port city of Jeddah, where Kiev agreed to Washington's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in exchange for the US lifting its suspension of military aid to Ukraine and intelligence sharing with it.
It is noteworthy that this meeting precedes the meeting between the US and Russian delegations that is due to take place on Monday.
The Kremlin delegation includes Grigory Karasin, chairman of the international affairs committee in the upper house of the Russian parliament, and Sergei Beseda, adviser to the head of Russia's Federal Security Service, according to an adviser to the Russian president.
The talks come just days after Zelensky accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of obstructing ceasefire efforts while continuing to behave like an "aggressor". Despite the two leaders agreeing in principle to a limited ceasefire, the Kremlin's attacks on Ukraine have not stopped, but rather intensified.
At the EU summit in Brussels on Friday, there were renewed calls to strengthen European defence. EU leaders agreed that the bloc's 27 members must be fully capable of defending themselves against a Russian attack by 2030.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff leads the U.S. delegation to Saudi Arabia. In an interview with US media, Witkoff said he did not believe concerns that Putin was seeking more territory in Europe.
"I just don't see him wanting to take over the whole of Europe. This is a much different situation than during the First and Second World War, there was no NATO," He said. "For me, it's just... I take him at his word in that sense. And I think the Europeans are starting to come around to that belief as well. But it doesn't really matter. That's an academic matter."
He also said he only intended to fulfill the agenda of "his boss," the U.S. president Donald Trumpthat is, to end the war. Trump said on Saturday that efforts to stop further escalation between Russia and Ukraine are "somewhat under control". He also said he hoped the Riyadh talks would offer a breakthrough that would finally end more than three years of war.
euronews/ gnews.cz - RoZ
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