KYIV: Ukrainian and US delegations discussed on Sunday (Mar 23) proposals to protect energy facilities and critical infrastructure, Ukraine’s defence minister said, part of a diplomatic push by US President Donald Trump to end three years of war.
The meeting in Saudi Arabia, which preceded talks on Monday between the US and Russian delegations, came as US special envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism about the chances of ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
“I feel that (Russian President Vladimir Putin) wants peace,” Witkoff told Fox News on Sunday.
“I think that you’re going to see in Saudi Arabia on Monday some real progress, particularly as it affects a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between both countries. And from that, you’ll naturally gravitate into a full-on shooting ceasefire.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country’s delegation to Sunday’s talks was working in “a completely constructive manner”, adding: “The conversation is quite useful, the work of the delegations is continuing.”
“But no matter what we say to our partners today, we need to get Putin to give a real order to stop the strikes,” Zelenskyy said in a televised statement.
Ukraine’s delegation was headed by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who said the aim of such contacts was helping to “bring a just peace closer and to strengthen security”, although Zelenskyy also said Sunday’s talks were essentially “technical”.
Putin agreed last week to Trump’s proposal for Russia and Ukraine to stop attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure for 30 days, but that narrowly defined ceasefire was soon cast into doubt, with both sides reporting continued strikes.
