French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would meet on Monday (8) in London with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to analyze “the ongoing negotiations within the framework of North American mediation” to end the conflict against Russia. Ukrainian and American negotiators met near Miami this Saturday (6), on the third day of negotiations on Washington’s plan to end the war, as Moscow’s forces advance on the front lines and carry out night bombings.
“We must continue to put pressure on Russia to force it to make peace,” the French president declared on Saturday, condemning “in the strongest terms” the new attacks against Ukraine and reiterating his “unwavering support” for kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday he had a “substantial and constructive” telephone conversation with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as well as kyiv negotiators who traveled to Florida to discuss ending the war with Russia.
“Ukraine is determined to continue working honestly with the United States to establish real peace. We agree on the next steps and format for discussions with the United States,” Zelensky said on social media, without providing further details.
The Ukrainian leader said the conversation discussed, among other topics, “key issues that could ensure an end to bloodshed,” as well as “the risk that Russia will not keep its promises.”
Volodymyr Zelensky said he expected the two Ukrainian negotiators, Rustem Umerov and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Andriy Hnatov, to return “with a detailed report” of the talks.
“You can’t discuss everything on the phone, so you have to work in detail with the teams on ideas and proposals,” he said.
The European Union, absent from these negotiations to which it was not invited, once again warned on Saturday against a process that Brussels considers favorable to Vladimir Putin. “Imposing restrictions and constraints on Ukraine will not bring us lasting peace,” said Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. “If aggression is rewarded, it will be repeated, not only in Ukraine or Gaza, but all over the world,” he added.
Guarantee of independence and sovereignty
Since the presentation of the American plan almost three weeks ago, several rounds of negotiations have taken place with the Ukrainians in Geneva and Florida to try to modify the text and make it more favorable to kyiv.
On the American side, Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are participating in negotiations this Saturday in the suburbs of Miami.
On Friday evening (5), at the end of the second day of meetings, the US State Department said that “both sides agreed that any real progress towards an agreement depends on Russia’s willingness to seriously commit to lasting peace, including de-escalation measures and an end to the massacres.”
In its statement, the State Department said that participants “discussed the results” of the Moscow meeting and that Umerov reaffirmed that Ukraine’s priority was to reach an agreement “that protects its independence and sovereignty.”
For weeks, the United States has been trying to get kyiv and Moscow to accept a plan drawn up by Washington to end the war.
The first version of the plan was changed after being criticized as being too favorable to Russia.
After the meeting in Moscow between Vladimir Putin, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the Kremlin assured that some progress had been made but that there was still “a lot of work” to do to reach a solution to the conflict, which began in February 2022.
According to the Kremlin’s diplomatic advisor, Yuri Ushakov, the negotiations in Moscow took place on Friday in a cordial atmosphere. He welcomed the presence of Trump’s son-in-law.
Putin and Witkoff had “a really friendly dialogue and understand each other well,” Ushakov told Russian state television, adding that Kushner’s presence was very “useful.”
Attacks continue on energy infrastructure in Ukraine
The intense diplomatic activity, however, failed to contain the fighting.
New massive Russian airstrikes targeting Ukrainian infrastructure, particularly energy facilities, have left thousands of homes without heat or water, authorities said on Saturday.
A total of 653 drones and 51 missiles struck Ukraine last night, the Air Force said. Several regions are still facing power outages following Russian bombing of energy facilities in recent weeks, according to Ukraine’s Energy Ministry.
(With AFP)