Lucrezia Ciotti Peace in Ukraine remains distant despite renewed talks between Trump and Zelensky's envoys. Kiev demands security guarantees and aid to weather the winter, while Russian attacks continue on the ground and tensions between Moscow and Berlin rise.
Ukraine holds new talks with the US, but peace remains distant.
The US diplomatic mission continues between Moscow and Kiev, without any breakthrough yet emerging to stop the war.
After meeting with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Saturday evening, Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, arrived in the Ukrainian capital from Poland on Sunday to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky and several European national security advisers. According to a senior Ukrainian presidential official quoted by AFP, the two presented new, " more effective " proposals to end the conflict.
Witkoff called the talks “ very significant , ” but warned that “ It will take everyone making compromises . ”
Zelensky, however, continues to call for a " dignified peace " and believes that the territorial issue can be resolved " only at the presidential level ." Also at the center of the discussions are security guarantees, reconstruction, and a prosperity plan for Ukraine, as well as the need to maintain a strong army.
The president stressed the importance of European involvement and announced a new meeting between Ukraine, Europe, and the United States soon . The American envoys left Kyiv by train on Sunday evening, according to the Ukrainian railway operator, without specifying their destination.
Russia-Ukraine negotiations hold no breakthrough: Zelensky fears another winter of war.
Zelensky expressed concern about the possibility of continued fighting in the coming months , especially given Putin's reluctance to negotiate directly with him. " We count on the support of our European partners if the war drags on into winter, as it currently appears ," he said after the talks. Kiev is therefore aiming to obtain new Patriot systems and an aid package to weather the cold season, while discussions remain open on the economic guarantees needed for the country's recovery. Meanwhile, military operations on the ground continue.
In Russia's Perm region, a Ukrainian drone attack on a residential building left one dead and four injured, according to Governor Dmitry Makhonin. The Russian Defense Ministry also claimed responsibility for attacks on " port infrastructure and military vessels deployed to support the Ukrainian armed forces ." The targets indicated included the cargo ship Mavka in the port of Chornomorsk, a production and cargo complex in Izmail, and a patrol boat in the Black Sea. Further complicating the situation is the tension between Moscow and Berlin. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has threatened Germany in relation to the allegations regarding the Leipzig drone strikes , claiming they represent " the beginning of a real war ."