Declaration was made during a celebration of the 34th anniversary of Ukrainian Independence; Kiev ceremonies featured the American envoy Keith Kellogg and Canada Prime Minister Mark Meatary
The president of Ukraine, said on Sunday (24) that a direct meeting with the Russian leader would be “the most effective way to move forward” in the face of the impasse in negotiations to end the war. The statement was made during the celebrations of the 34th anniversary of Ukrainian Independence, also marked by drone attacks against Russia. Zelensky stressed that “the format of conversations between leaders is the most effective” and renewed his appeal by a meeting with Putin.
Hours earlier, in an interview with Russian state TV Rossia, Chancellor Sergei Lavrov criticized the Ukrainian President for “imposing conditions and demanding an immediate meeting.” He also accused Western powers of trying to prevent negotiations. The vice president of the United States, countered the version of Moscow. According to him, Russia has already made “significant concessions” to US President Donald Trump, under discussions to end the conflict.
The ceremonies in Kiev were attended by the American envoy Keith Kellogg and the Prime Minister of Canada ,. “Together we Ukrainians and our partners strive to push Russia into peace,” Zelensky said. The war, which began three and a half years ago, has left tens of thousands of dead and remains dead, although Moscow has made recent advances in eastern Ukraine.
Military Advances and Drone Attacks
Ukrainian army chief commander Oleksandr Sirski announced the resumption of three villages in Donetsk, a region occupied by Russian troops. Kiev also launched new drone attacks on Russian territory, including a complex of Russia’s “largest liquefied gas producer”.
Russian authorities said they had knocked down drones close to large cities, such as St. Petersburg. Kiev reported that Moscow launched a ballistic missile and 72 Iranian -made Shahed drones, of which 48 were slaughtered. One of the attacks killed a 47 -year -old woman in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Ukrainian army, with fewer resources than the Russian, has prioritized the use of drones against energy infrastructure targets, considered essential for the financing of the War by Moscow. To reinforce Ukraine’s air defense, Norway announced a $ 3.8 billion financing to provide two Patriot antimysis systems, in partnership with Germany.
Prisoners and climate exchange on the front
Russia and Ukraine held on Sunday the exchange of 146 prisoners of war, one of the few areas of cooperation since the beginning of the Russian offensive, which has control over about 20% of the Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, attached in 2014.
On the front line, the date of independence was remembered amid combat. “I am a patriot of heart, but when independence day becomes a day of struggle, the feeling is of blood and sweat,” Ukrainian military doctor Dobrii told AFP.
*With information from AFP
Posted by Felipe Cerqueira
