U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys arrived in Moscow on Thursday for talks with President Vladimir Putin about the results of U.S.-mediated negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is also Trump's son-in-law, attended the two days of negotiations in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The talks wrapped up Wednesday with an agreement on a large exchange of prisoners, but no visible breakthrough on ending the nearly five-year hostilities.
After meeting with Putin, Kushner said that he and Witkoff will fly to Dublin, Ireland, to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy gave a muted welcome to the outcome of the talks, saying that the proposed prisoner exchange was a positive step. At the same time, he insisted that Ukraine won't give in to demands that it cede its territory that has been occupied by Russia in exchange for peace.
Hopes had been low for any significant breakthrough in the first meeting in nine months between the delegations. From time to time, Russia and Ukraine have swapped prisoners, but have remained far apart in their demands for accepting a peace settlement.
Along with post-conflict security guarantees for both countries, other key hurdles are the fate of Russia-occupied Ukrainian territory and what role European countries will play in an eventual settlement.
Moscow doesn’t want European countries, which are concerned about Russia’s conduct and broader intentions on the continent, involved in the direct negotiations. Kushner said that one of the goals of the Moscow meeting is to try to get Europeans added to the talks.
Kushner noted that both Ukraine and Russia needed clarity on post-conflict security arrangements, and European countries, the European Union and NATO have to be involved in those discussions to build consensus on the next steps.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that European representatives could eventually join peace talks.
But Peskov said that their current statements “don’t indicate any desire on their part to contribute to movement along the path toward peace.” Moscow complains that Europe is financing and supplying weaponry to Ukraine.
Ukraine wants to ensure that Moscow doesn’t attack again, and EU officials say any discussions on Europe’s security arrangements could only start after a ceasefire. Many in Europe see the inclusion of Russia in those plans as a concession to Putin, who has described NATO’s eastward expansion as a top security threat to his country. Moscow has demanded that the alliance withdraw its troops from Russia’s borders.
Fighting continues along the 1,200-kilometer (about 750-mile) front line, where little territory has changed hands this year, while both countries are battering each other with long-range missiles and drones.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 71 Ukrainian drones overnight.
The ministry declared that the military has struck a drone-making plant in Kyiv and three other facilities producing missile fuel and drone components in the area around the Ukrainian capital. It said that other strikes hit power substations in Zhytomyr and a bulk carrier heading to the Black Sea port of Odesa with cargo for the Ukrainian armed forces.
A Russian military serviceman was killed in St. Petersburg early Thursday when his vehicle exploded, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee, the country’s main criminal investigation agency. It didn’t name the victim or say who could be behind the bombing. Fontanka news outlet said that the victim was a colonel and an explosive device in his car went off as he drove off. Another person accompanying him was wounded, it said.
Several senior officers have been killed by bombings and other attacks that Russia has blamed on Ukraine. Kyiv has claimed responsibility for some attacks on Russian soil.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the fighting in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Read MoreUkraine war live: Trump’s envoys arrive in Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin
Florida city forced to cancel St Patrick’s Day parade due to Trump anti-diversity law
Fifty heads of state gather in Dublin for major European summit
Ireland faces pressure to stop sending Russia an ingredient vital to its war on Ukraine
France warns Germany it ‘could accidentally provoke nuclear war with Russia’
Ukraine and Russia agree to large-scale prisoner exchange after second day of talks
