(AFP) – Washington’s envoys have brought new, “more effective” proposals on ending the war with Russia to Kyiv, a senior Ukrainian presidential official told AFP Sunday. Earlier Sunday, Zelensky had said the war with Russia looked likely to continue into the winter. While both he and the US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had given upbeat assessments of the talks, neither announced any breakthroughs on ending the conflict. But the senior Ukrainian official told AFP: “It’s not the same as it was before. This one now is more effective. They’re still talking. This is actually the most important part.”
Witkoff, who is President Donald Trump’s business ally, and Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, travelled to Kyiv a day after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow — the latest of several visits to the city. Ukraine’s rail operator announced their departure from Kyiv in a post on Telegram early Monday, accompanied by a photo of the two envoys standing under a station sign announcing the “Peace Express”. Sunday’s visit to Kyiv was their first to the Ukrainian capital, which has been enduring deadly Russian strikes for more than four years.
Zelensky said: “We very much hope that we will be able to reach agreements with our American partners, and we are counting on the support of our European partners if the war continues in winter — and this is how it appears at the moment.” Zelensky also said Ukraine would hold talks with the US, France and Germany, but did not elaborate. And he repeated his call that only a meeting between the two leaders could solve territorial issues. Thanking the US envoys for their visit, Zelensky said on X: “The main thing is to achieve peace for Ukraine — a dignified, reliable, and lasting peace. We are directing all our efforts toward this.”
– ‘On same side’ – Moscow occupies large swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine and the Kremlin told the Americans on Saturday it was feeling “confident” it would advance more. Moscow has said it wants not just the territories it occupies but the land it claims as Russian to be recognised as its own — terms unacceptable to Kyiv. Witkoff said both sides would need to compromise, adding: “We think we have the ingredients to get to that place.” “We’ve had a very meaningful discussion, substantive, important, and we are very encouraged and we look forward to continuing this as long as it takes.”
Kushner added: “Hopefully this trip has come out with some new ways to advance forward. I think we’ve learned a lot from the trip.” Witkoff and Kushner travelled to the region hoping to revive the Trump administration’s push for peace in Europe’s worst conflict since World War II, after a summer of escalation. British, French and German representatives attended a separate round of the talks. Zelensky said he was grateful the Europeans were there, adding: “Here we are all on the same side.” Like all visiting officials, the US delegation had arrived by train, with “Peace Express” written on the platform at Kyiv Central Station. Ukrainian airspace has been closed since Russia launched its invasion in 2022. Russia and Ukraine vowed not to strike each other’s capitals during the US envoys’ trip.
– ‘Substantive plans’ – Moscow’s invasion has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions. A White House official said in a statement to AFP that in Moscow the envoys had “discussed substantive plans which will be announced in the coming weeks”. Without elaborating, the Kremlin said the Americans had “put forward a number of ideas on possible routes to a settlement”. Putin has repeatedly said Moscow intends to seize the rest of eastern Ukraine, and Russia increased deadly strikes this summer. Since Putin launched the invasion in February 2022, the war has dragged on with no end in sight.
In Kyiv, few people appeared to believe in a breakthrough. Nataliia Lipekh, 67, said it was “absolutely necessary (for them) to be here” and to see that “our land is already soaked with this blood and that we need some help”. “At the moment, I have no grounds for hope,” said 29-year-old Yaroslav, saying he had seen “far too many of these negotiation processes”.
– Mykola ZAVGORODNIY
© 2024 AFP
