Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated Friday that he’ll meet with President Trump “within the close to future,” signaling progress in talks to finish the practically four-year warfare between Russia and Ukraine.
“We’re not dropping a single day. We’ve agreed on a gathering on the highest stage – with President Trump within the close to future,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “Quite a bit may be determined earlier than the New Yr,” he added.
CBS Information has reached out to the White Home for remark.
Zelenskyy’s announcement got here after he stated Thursday he had a “good dialog” with U.S. particular envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Mr. Trump has unleashed an in depth diplomatic push to finish the warfare, however his efforts have run into sharply conflicting calls for by Moscow and Kyiv.
Zelenskyy stated Tuesday he can be keen to withdraw troops from the nation’s japanese industrial heartland as a part of a plan to finish the warfare, if Moscow additionally pulls again and the world turns into a demilitarized zone monitored by worldwide forces.
Although Russian International Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated Thursday that there had been “sluggish however regular progress” within the peace talks, Russia has given no indication that it’s going to conform to any form of withdrawal from land it has seized.
In actual fact, Moscow has insisted that Ukraine relinquish the remaining territory it nonetheless holds within the Donbas – an ultimatum that Ukraine has rejected. Russia has captured most of Luhansk and about 70% of Donetsk – the 2 areas that make up the Donbas.
U.S. envoys have been holding talks with the Russian facet as properly. Kirill Dmitriev, who heads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, traveled to Miami for conferences final weekend.
Regardless of the talks, within the days main as much as Christmas, Russia saved up its missile and drone bombardment of Ukrainian cities, whereas a Russian normal was killed in a automotive bomb explosion in Moscow.
In a single day into Friday, Russian drone assaults on Mykolaiv and its suburbs left a part of the town with out energy.
In the meantime, Ukraine stated it struck a serious Russian oil refinery Thursday utilizing British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.
Ukraine’s Common Workers stated its forces hit the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Russia’s Rostov area. “A number of explosions had been recorded. The goal was hit,” it wrote on Telegram.
Rostov regional Gov. Yuri Slyusar stated a firefighter was wounded when extinguishing the hearth.
Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries goal to deprive Moscow of the oil export income it must pursue its full-scale invasion. Russia desires to cripple the Ukrainian energy grid, in search of to disclaim civilians entry to warmth, gentle and operating water in what Kyiv officers say is an try to “weaponize winter.”
