Kremlin expects Trump emissaries for peace deal 'soon'. The concession that Russia demands from Kiev
The Kremlin expects a quick resumption of US mediation efforts to end the war in Ukraine, after the current three-day truce, Iuri Ushakov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's adviser in charge of negotiations, said on Sunday on state television, reports DPA, taken over by Agerpres.
At the same time, Ushakov affirmed that the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict will stop even after dozens of other rounds of discussions, if Kiev does not withdraw its forces from Donbas (Luhansk and Donetsk regions), according to the official Russian news agency TASS. “Until Ukraine takes this step, we can have dozens more rounds of negotiations, but we'll keep going, do you understand? That's the problem,” said Ushakov.
“In Ukraine, I know they have to do this”
The authorities in Kiev will realize, sooner or later, that the withdrawal of their forces from Donbas is inevitable, he claims. “In Ukraine, they know they have to do this, and they will do it sooner or later anyway,” said Ushakov, a former Russian ambassador to the US.
The withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbas is one of the most important conditions set by Moscow for an effective negotiated solution with Kiev, notes TASS.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly rejected this request of the Kremlin. So far, Russian forces have failed to capture the strategically important cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in the Donetsk region (east), which Ukraine considers essential for the defense of access routes to Kiev. The other part of Donbass, the Luhansk region, is almost entirely under Moscow's control.
Putin, willing to accept a meeting with Zelensky
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, showed himself on Saturday willing to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, but only to sign a peace treaty, not for actual negotiations, notes EFE
Zelensky, who claims that his country's Constitution forbids him from ceding territory and calls for emphasizing the need for security guarantees for Ukraine, is willing to meet Putin only on neutral territory.
Regarding Washington's emissaries, Iuri Ushakov stated that the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump will arrive “soon” in Moscow, without specifying a date.
Putin's adviser said the truce – in effect until Monday – was agreed following two days of phone talks with the US, which he said “were not easy at all”.
Witkoff and Kushner have also mediated the talks between Russia and Ukraine in the past, but failed to achieve real progress. Uşakov mentioned that they were also involved in the discussions regarding the conflict in the Middle East.
Both sides have reported widespread violations of the truce announced by Trump on Friday, although observers have noted a general decline in attacks, particularly those targeting energy facilities located behind front lines.
Three-day ceasefire violations
The Russian Defense Ministry reported 16,000 ceasefire violations on Sunday, including isolated gunfire. The ministry claims that 57 Ukrainian drones were shot down, according to DPA.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian army reported on Sunday about 150 Russian attacks in the last few hours, while Ukraine's air force said 27 Russian drones had been shot down.
Five people, including two children, were injured on Saturday in the city of Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, after a drone hit a block of flats, local authorities announced.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said this Sunday that sanctions against Russia and other forms of pressure are working, stressing that cooperation in this sense in Europe must remain solid.
“It is clear that the combined effect of sanctions against Russia and other forms of pressure is having the desired results. Thank you to everyone who is contributing to this effort!” he wrote in a social media post.
