US envoys arrive in Berlin for another round of Ukraine peace talks
BERLIN AP U S envoys arrived in Berlin Sunday morning for another round of talks intended to secure a deal to end the war in Ukraine U S President Donald Trump s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump s son-in-law Jared Kushner were spotted in downtown Berlin by a photographer for German news agency dpa Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned that Ukrainian U S and European personnel will hold a series of meetings in Berlin in the coming days Largest part importantly I will be meeting with envoys of President Trump and there will also be meetings with our European partners with a multitude of leaders concerning the foundation of peace a political agreement to end the war Zelenskyy stated in an address to the nation late Saturday Washington has tried for months to manage the demands of each side as Trump presses for a swift end to Russia s war and grows increasingly exasperated by delays The search for viable compromises has run into major obstacles including control of Ukraine s eastern Donetsk region which is mostly occupied by Russian forces and protection guarantees for Ukraine The chance is considerable at this moment and it matters for our every city for our every Ukrainian society Zelenskyy commented We are working to ensure that peace for Ukraine is dignified and to secure a guarantee a guarantee above all that Russia will not return to Ukraine for a third invasion Tough obstacles remain Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the part of the Donetsk region still under its control and abandon its bid to join NATO among the key conditions for peace demands Kyiv has rejected Putin s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov advised the business daily Kommersant that Russian police and national guard troops would stay in parts of eastern Ukraine s Donbas even if they become a demilitarized zone under a prospective peace plan a demand likely to be rejected by Ukraine as U S -led negotiations drag on Ushakov warned that a search for compromise could take a long time noting that the U S proposals that took into account Russian demands had been worsened by alterations proposed by Ukraine and its European allies Speaking to Russian state TV in remarks broadcast Sunday Ushakov stated that the contribution of Ukrainians and Europeans to these documents is unlikely to be constructive warning that Moscow will have very strong objections Ushakov added that the territorial issue was actively discussed in Moscow when Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin earlier this month The Americans know and understand our position he revealed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz who has spearheaded European efforts to encouragement Ukraine alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and U K Prime Minister Keir Starmer revealed Saturday that the decades of the Pax Americana are largely over for us in Europe and for us in Germany as well He warned that Putin s aim is a fundamental change to the borders in Europe the restoration of the old Soviet Union within its borders If Ukraine falls he won t stop Merz warned on Saturday during a party conference in Munich Putin has denied plans to restore the Soviet Union or attack any European allies Russia and Ukraine exchange aerial attacks As peace efforts continued Russia and Ukraine exchanged another round of aerial attacks Ukraine s air force mentioned overnight Russia launched ballistic missiles and attack drones at Ukraine In its daily review the air force disclosed had been intercepted or downed but missile and drone hits were recorded at six locations Zelenskyy mentioned Sunday that hundreds of thousands of families were still without power in the south east and north-east regions and work was continuing to restore electricity heat and water to multiple regions following a large-scale attack the previous night The Ukrainian president announced that in the past week Russia had launched over strike drones nearly guided aerial bombs and missiles of various types at Ukraine Ukraine demands peace on decent terms and we are ready to work as constructively as viable These days will be filled with diplomacy It s very fundamental that it brings results Zelenskyy commented Russia s Defense Ministry mentioned that air defenses downed Ukrainian drones late Saturday and early Sunday In the Belgorod region a drone injured a man and set his house ablaze in the village of Yasnye Zori regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Uryupinsk in the Volgograd region triggering a fire according to the regional governor Andrei Bocharov In the Krasnodar region the Ukrainian drones attacked the town of Afipsky where an oil refinery is located The personnel stated that explosions shattered windows in residential buildings but didn t summary any damage to the refinery Ciobanu communicated from Warsaw Poland Source
