Zelensky says talks with US envoys ‘very substantive’
Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that talks with US envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were “very substantive.”
The two sides discussed resuming negotiations on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, security and economic guarantees for Ukraine, and a winter support package, Zelensky told reporters at a briefing following the talks on Sunday (local time).
“We are very much counting on both air defence and energy support, and we are counting on a serious volume and possibilities of using American LNG,” Zelensky said.
Representatives from European countries including Britain, France and Germany joined their discussions at the third round, Zelensky said, adding the three sides had agreed to meet in the future to continue negotiations.
He also stressed that efforts were underway to revive trilateral talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia aimed at ending the conflict, reports Xinhua news agency.
For his part, Witkoff told reporters that the two US peace envoys had made “significant progress” in Moscow and hoped that trilateral talks would be announced soon.
Witkoff and Kushner travelled to Kyiv earlier Sunday for their first visit to Ukraine after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Delegations from Ukraine, the United States and Russia previously held two rounds of talks in Abu Dhabi on January 23-24 and February 4-5, followed by another round in Geneva on Feb. 17-18, in an effort to find a path toward ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The trilateral negotiations subsequently stalled and have remained suspended.
Earlier, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had substantive, constructive and extremely frank talks with US envoys in a trusting atmosphere in Moscow.
Ushakov said the discussion on extremely serious issues took place in a working-format setting and informally over dinner.
Putin reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to continue joint work with the United States in search of political and diplomatic solutions to the Ukrainian issues.
Ushakov said that the Russian side provided clear and comprehensive assessments of the situation unfolding amid the special military operation.
“In particular, note was taken of the real advances made by the Russian army within the combat zone; confidence was expressed in achieving the stated objectives, and the need to eliminate all root causes of the conflict was emphasised,” he noted.
The talks were not confined to an exchange of views on resolving the Ukraine crisis. Economic matters and potential large-scale, mutually beneficial Russian-US projects were also discussed in considerable detail, said Ushakov.
Overall, the negotiations can be described as timely and highly beneficial for both sides. It was confirmed that the heads of state of the two countries will maintain personal contact going forward, and that work through Witkoff and Kushner will continue.
The conversation lasted three hours and 10 minutes.