Less than two weeks ago, in the Oval Office, the US President and Vice President - Donald Trump and JD Vance - attacked their Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky for not being grateful enough for the help that the US is giving to Ukraine. This was followed by a pause in the military aid that Washington is sending, as well as the sharing of intelligence information. Thus, the two countries have reached the lowest point in their relations since the beginning of the Russian attack on February 24, 2022.
Attempt at a restart and the start of negotiations
Today, delegations from Kiev and Washington are meeting in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to restart talks and the partnership between the two countries. The meeting "will be crucial" to resuming US military aid, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on his way to the Saudi city of Jeddah. Rubio wanted to know what concessions the Ukrainians were willing to make because "this is the only way to end this war and prevent further suffering". "They and their people have suffered a lot and it's hard to even talk about concessions after something like this, but this is the only way to end this and prevent further suffering," the secretary of state added in a far more constructive tone than the messages coming from Trump, Vance and Musk recently.
Russia cannot conquer Ukraine, and it will be very difficult for the Ukrainians to push the Russians back to the pre-2014 borders, the US secretary of state added. According to him, the only solution is diplomacy. Marco Rubio also said that France and Britain have helped a lot in recent weeks. He also did not rule out an informal meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, who is currently in Saudi Arabia.
Rubio specified that today's meeting between the delegations of the two countries cannot be expected to sign a specific plan, but rather to outline the terms of negotiations. Ukraine wants security guarantees before the full cessation of hostilities, Washington insists on a quick ceasefire. The deal on rare earth minerals is on the agenda, and Kiev is ready to sign it, Zelensky recalled.
Air strikes in Moscow and Ukraine
Immediately before the talks, the Ukrainian president proposed a hostage exchange between Ukraine and Russia. He called this move "an important step towards building trust in diplomatic efforts". Zelensky insists on the return of Ukrainian children back to the country. Kiev accuses Moscow of kidnapping thousands of children since the start of the full-scale war. Because of these suspicions, an arrest warrant was issued against Vladimir Putin by the International Criminal Court before March 2023.
Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine announced airstrikes on their territories last night. Two Russian airports have suspended operations due to Ukrainian drone attacks, and according to Moscow Governor Andrei Vorobyov, one person has been killed and three have been injured. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that Russian air defense systems have shot down 69 drones over the capital and the surrounding area. The Ukrainian Air Force announced that it had shot down an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 79 unmanned aircraft launched from Russia.