Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed cautious optimism about the US-led peace talks, addressing that the majority of Kyiv’s demands have been met.
Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, the Ukrainian leader described the peace deal as “quite solid at this stage,” with “nearly 90%” of its demands incorporated in the draft agreement, while acknowleding that compromises from both sides will be necessary.
“There are some things we are probably not ready for, and I’m sure there are things the Russians are not ready for either,” Zelenskyy added.
Washington has been going back and forth between talks with Kyiv and Moscow, in an effort to reach a peace deal to end the almost four-year war in Ukraine.
On Sunday, US special envoy Steve Witkoff called a meeting with Ukrainian and European representatives, as well as separate talks with Russian negotiatiors as “productive and constructive”.
Witkoff noted the US-Ukraine talks focused on four key points. First, the development of a 20-point plan, a revised version of the original 28-point draft plan, which had faced criticism for favouring Russian demands. Second, the discussion of a framework on security guarantees between Ukraine, European countries, and the US, as well as a separate framework on bilateral security guarantees granted to Ukraine by the US. And lastly, a focus on the rebuilding of Ukraine.
It remains unclear whether Russia will accept the terms.
US President Donald Trump adopted a more neutral tone. “The talks are going along,” he said Monday while on vacation at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, “We are talking. It’s going OK”.
Russia launches large-scale missile and drone attack at Ukraine amid peace talks, local media reports
While peace talks are ongoing, Russia launched a large-scale drone and missile attack on several Ukrainian cities overnight into Tuesday, local media reported.
“Russia is attacking our energy infrastructure again,” Ukraine’s energy ministry said in a statement on Telegram, noting that the attack resulted in several power outages, including in the capital of Kyiv.
In its campaign against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Moscow seeks to deprive Ukrainians of heating and water supplies during winter.
Russia has targeted Ukrainian power systems since launching its full-scale invasion in early 2022, a tactic Kyiv describes as “weaponising winter”.