Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday he had a “positive” conversation with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, praising their readiness to work on a settlement of the Ukraine war in the coming weeks.
“A very positive conversation,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram during a stopover in the Moldovan capital Chisinau, as he returned to Kyiv from talks in London with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany.
“Grateful for the readiness to work as actively as possible already in the weeks to come to give a boost to diplomacy for ending Russia’s war against Ukraine,” he wrote.
European Backing For Direct Talks
The three European leaders supported a proposal for a meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to secure a ceasefire, with Europe playing an active role.
U.S.-brokered talks on the Ukraine conflict, overseen by Witkoff and Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, have been stalled, with Washington focused on the conflict in Iran.
G7 And The Road Ahead
In a subsequent post, Zelenskyy said he spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron and discussed his conversation with the U.S. envoys Witkoff and Kushner, and coordinated future steps.
He said he understood much of the world’s attention was on Iran, “but our common goal regarding peace in Europe is on the agenda.”
He and the envoys discussed prospects for talks at the forthcoming G7 summit in the French resort of Evian, and he expressed thanks for the “positive assessment of Ukraine’s position.”
U.S. and Ukrainian officials continue to discuss a possible visit to Kyiv by Witkoff and Kushner, potentially in coming weeks, their first official visit to Ukraine. The two envoys have previously travelled to Moscow for talks with Russia.
Efforts To Achieve A Ceasefire
At a special session of the U.N. Security Council on Monday, the fifth held on the war in 20 days, representatives from the EU, the U.S. and China urged continued efforts to reach a ceasefire.
Acting assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs Indrika Ratwatte told the council that Russia was escalating attacks on major Ukrainian population centres, with at least 30 civilians killed and 200 injured since Friday.
Seven humanitarian vehicles were also damaged in attacks in the southern Kherson region, injuring aid workers in what he called “unacceptable attacks.”
Russia Rejects The Proposal
Ukraine’s U.N. representative Andriy Melnyk said Putin had rejected outright Zelenskyy’s proposal for a leaders’ meeting. Russian representative Vasily Nebenzya dismissed the proposal as “rudeness and ultimatums,” saying Moscow sought a real settlement, not “imitation talks.”
(with input from Reuters)
