Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned Friday that he’ll meet with President Trump over the weekend in Florida.
Zelenskyy advised reporters that the 2 leaders will focus on safety ensures for Ukraine throughout Sunday’s talks. He mentioned the 20-point plan beneath dialogue “is about 90% prepared.”
Earlier Friday, the Ukrainian chief mentioned he and Mr. Trump had agreed to satisfy “within the close to future,” signaling progress in talks to finish the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine.
“We’re not dropping a single day. We’ve got agreed on a gathering on the highest degree – with President Trump within the close to future,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “So much may be determined earlier than the New 12 months,” he added.
The introduced assembly is the newest improvement in an in depth U.S.-led diplomatic push to finish the practically four-year Russia-Ukraine struggle, however efforts have run into sharply conflicting calls for by Moscow and Kyiv.
CBS Information has reached out to the White Home for remark.
Zelenskyy’s announcement got here after he said Thursday he had a “good conversation” with U.S. particular envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov advised reporters on Friday that the Kremlin had already been in touch with U.S. representatives since Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev met with U.S. envoys in Florida over the weekend.
“It was agreed upon to proceed the dialogue,” he mentioned.
Mr. Trump has unleashed an in depth diplomatic push to finish the struggle, however his efforts have run into sharply conflicting calls for by Moscow and Kyiv.
Zelenskyy mentioned Tuesday he could be keen to withdraw troops from the nation’s japanese industrial heartland as a part of a plan to finish the struggle, if Moscow additionally pulls again and the area becomes a demilitarized zone monitored by worldwide forces.
Although Russian International Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova mentioned Thursday that there had been “sluggish however regular progress” within the peace talks, Russia has given no indication that it’ll conform to any form of withdrawal from land it has seized.
In actual fact, Moscow has insisted that Ukraine relinquish the remaining territory it nonetheless holds within the Donbas area — an ultimatum that Ukraine has rejected. Russia has captured most of Luhansk and about 70% of Donetsk, the 2 areas that make up the Donbas.
U.S. envoys have been holding talks with the Russian facet as effectively. Kirill Dmitriev, who heads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, traveled to Miami for conferences final weekend.
Regardless of the talks, within the days main as much as Christmas, Russia stored up its missile and drone bombardment of Ukrainian cities, whereas a Russian general was killed in a automobile bomb explosion in Moscow.
In a single day into Friday, Russian drone assaults on Mykolaiv and its suburbs left a part of town with out energy.
In the meantime, Ukraine mentioned it struck a significant Russian oil refinery Thursday utilizing British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.
Ukraine’s Common Workers mentioned its forces hit the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Russia’s Rostov area. “A number of explosions had been recorded. The goal was hit,” it wrote on Telegram.
Rostov regional Gov. Yuri Slyusar mentioned a firefighter was wounded when extinguishing the hearth.
Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries goal to deprive Moscow of the oil export income it must pursue its full-scale invasion. Russia needs to cripple the Ukrainian energy grid, looking for to disclaim civilians entry to warmth, mild and operating water in what Kyiv officers say is an try and “weaponize winter.”
