Ukraine welcomes constructive start of the US talks after drone attack

Ukraine welcomes constructive start of the US talks after drone attack

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia-A high-ranking Ukrainian official stated that a new round of talks with the United States started constructively. This is a great relief for Kiev after the extraordinary public dispute between US President Donald Trump and the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj, which took place less than two weeks ago.

constructive start of negotiations

Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff Selenskyjs, who represented Ukraine at the talks in Jeddah, said on Tuesday that "the Meeting with the US team started very constructively". He added: "We are working on reaching a fair and permanent peace."

conversations with US representatives

The Ukrainian delegation, which does not consist of Selenskyj, met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the national security consultant Mike Waltz. Both had participated in direct talks with Russia last month.

While the meeting went into the fourth hour, Rubio and Waltz were seen in the foyer of the Ritz-Carlton Hotels in Jeddah, where the negotiations between US and Ukrainian officials took place. When asked by CNN how the meeting went, Waltz replied: "We come there."

The security guarantees in focus

The topic Security guarantees and Ukraine. Kiev has always emphasized that every ceasefire or peace agreement must be underpinned by western security guarantees, since the story shows that the Russian President Vladimir Putin is not an agreement that does not contain such guarantees.

international support for Ukraine

Many of Kiev western allies support this position, but the Trump administration has so far rejected specific obligations. In a speech in the European Parliament on Tuesday, the President of the European Commission emphasized Ursula von der Leyen that “it was urgently needed to close the gaps in the military care of Ukraine and to offer Ukraine solid security guarantees.”

"Putin has repeatedly proven that he is an enemy neighbor. He cannot be familiar; he can only be put off," she said.

orientation to the peace process

Yermak seemed to recognize that security guarantees may not be on the agenda, and emphasized journalists to find a way to start the peace process. "Now we think it is necessary to discuss what is most important: how we can start this process," said Yermak in the foyer of the Ritz-Carlton Hotels in Jeddah before the meeting began. "And we are very open, very open. And we want to have a very constructive, deep conversation with our American partners."

military developments and their effects

The Ukrainian and American officials met in Jeddah, just a few hours after Russia, from a "massive" Ukrainian drone attack . The Ministry of Defense Moscow stated that there were 337 drones that Russia allegedly attacked, 91 of which aimed at the Moscow region. Local authorities reported three dead and at least six injuries.

If these numbers are confirmed, the air strikes would be one of the largest since Russia's invasion in Ukraine and are a clear attempt to demonstrate strength.

concessions of Ukraine required

The meeting on Tuesday was the first time that Ukrainian and American civil servants had come together less than two weeks ago since the suspension of all military aid deliveries to Ukraine by the United States after the catastrophic meeting between Trump and Selenskyj. Selenskyj described the heated meeting as "regrettable" and said that Ukraine was ready to negotiate the end of the conflict. Nevertheless, he avoided Trump.

Before the meeting on Tuesday, Rubio did not specify which compromises he expected from Ukraine, but Trump had repeatedly indicated that the Ukraine probably had to give up some of its territories. So far, Ukraine has not signaled that it would be ready.

Currently Russian troops occupy almost 20 % of the Ukrainian territory, compared to the approximately 7 % that Moscow controlled from the unprofitable large -scale invasion in February 2022. Around 6 million Ukrainians live under Russian occupation. Putin has made it clear that he wants Moscow to get complete control over the eastern regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Cherson and Zaporizhzhia.

according to the Institute for the Study of War , an American conflict monitor, Russia is currently controlling about 99 % of the Luhau region and 70 % of the Donetsk region, as well as approximately 75 % of the regions of Cherson and Zaporizhzhia.