Washington suggested a meeting between Kiev and Moscow in the United States next week, according to Zelensky
The United States wants war between Ukraine and Russia finish by Juneand proposed negotiations between the two sides next week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated on Friday (6).
“For the first time, Washington proposed that the two negotiating teams meet in the United States, perhaps in Miami, within a week,” Zelensky said, following this week’s talks in Abu Dhabi between Moscow and Kiev, which were attended by American representatives.
Ukraine agreed to the new meetinginformed Zelensky, reiterating that his country will not accept signed agreements between the United States and Russia without the participation of Kiev, especially on sensitive territorial issues.
Russia occupies approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory, and is pressing for full control of the Donetsk region, in the east of the country, threatening to take it by force if negotiations fail. It also demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the parts of that territory they still control, an unacceptable demand for Kiev.
Ukraine, which refuses to sign an agreement that would not prevent Russia from carrying out a new invasion, has proposed freezing the conflict along the current front lines. Moscow rejected this proposal, and Washington advocates that Kiev transform the lands it controls in the Donetsk region into a “free economic zone”, where neither party exercises military control. “If we are to create a free economic zone, we will need fair and reliable rules,” declared Zelensky.
Power cuts
The two sides were also unable to reach an agreement on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which has been occupied by Moscow since the start of the invasion.
Throughout the negotiations, Russia launched waves of lethal attacks on Ukraine, such as the one on Saturday morning (7) against the electricity grid, which caused blackouts in a large part of the country, reported Ukrenergo, a Ukrainian energy company.
“Due to the damage caused by the enemy, emergency cuts were carried out in most regions”, published the company on the Telegram application.
Russia has been carrying out a bombing campaign against the Ukrainian electricity grid for months, which has caused the worst crisis in this sector since the beginning of the invasion in 2022. This Saturday morning, authorities reported power cuts mainly in Kiev, which has been particularly affected in recent weeks.
The temperature dropped to -5°C in the capital early in the morning, and is expected to reach -20°C next Monday (9). There were also explosions and power cuts in the west of the country.
Kiev requested emergency aid from neighboring Poland over the bombings, which came a day after gunfire in Moscow wounded a Russian military intelligence general, an attack Russia blamed on Ukraine.
*With information from AFP
