Moscow: Russia has expressed hope for an end to the nearly four-year-long war in Ukraine. Russia said that talks on a US-brokered peace agreement are progressing well. These talks are part of peace efforts being made by the Trump administration. Meetings between Ukrainian and European officials were held in Berlin earlier this week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also described the talks as positive.
The Associated Press, citing the Russian state news agency, reported that both the Ukrainian and Russian sides are positive. Kirill Dmitriev said on Saturday that the discussions are moving forward constructively. Dmitriev met with US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that the US position is crucial after talks with the Russians.
Zelenskyy hopeful about the talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he supports the idea of a trilateral meeting of national security advisors from Ukraine, the US, and Russia. He said he is optimistic about such a meeting. According to Zelenskyy, this proposal came from the US, and he was informed about it by Ukraine's chief peace negotiator, Rustem Umerov.
Zelenskyy said he is not entirely confident that the meeting will yield anything new. However, he recalled that the previous talks in Turkey had made possible the return of captured soldiers and civilians. Zelenskyy said that if this meeting results in a prisoner exchange or any other agreement, he will accept it. They support the US proposal and want to see what happens next.
Zelenskyy also acknowledged that the most difficult issues related to the peace process remain unresolved. These include territorial disputes, control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and funding for Ukraine's reconstruction. On the other hand, Trump administration officials say that 90 percent of the American peace plan has been agreed upon.
