DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. negotiators labored on a proposed partial ceasefire within the 3-year-old battle in Ukraine on Monday, assembly representatives from Russia someday after holding separate talks with a group from Kyiv.
It has been a battle to succeed in even a restricted, 30-day ceasefire — which Moscow and Kyiv agreed to in precept final week — with either side persevering with to assault one another with drones and missiles.
One main sticking level is what targets can be off-limits to strike, even after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the international locations’ leaders, as a result of the events disagree.
Whereas the White Home mentioned “energy and infrastructure” can be coated, the Kremlin declared that the settlement referred extra narrowly to “energy infrastructure.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has mentioned he would additionally prefer to see infrastructure like railways and ports protected.
Talks Monday within the Saudi capital of Riyadh have been anticipated to deal with a few of these variations, in addition to a possible pause in assaults within the Black Sea to make sure the protection of business transport. Russian state media reported late Monday native time that the talks had ended.
In an alternate with reporters on the White Home, Trump mentioned territorial traces and the potential for U.S. possession of a key nuclear energy plant in southern Ukraine have been a part of the talks.
Final week, Trump floated the concept of the U.S. taking management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Energy Plant. The six-reactor facility — one of many world’s largest — was seized by Russia early within the battle.
“Some people are saying the United States should own the power plant — work it that way because we have the expertise” to get the plant working, Trump mentioned. “Something like that would be fine with me.”
Since falling beneath Russian management, the plant’s circumstances have deteriorated. Whereas its reactors have been shut down for years, they nonetheless require energy and employees to keep up cooling techniques and security options. The power is related to Ukraine’s vitality grid with out producing electrical energy.
Serhii Leshchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, mentioned the delegation remained in Riyadh on Monday and anticipated to fulfill once more with the Individuals. In his nightly tackle Monday, Zelenskyy mentioned representatives from Ukraine and the U.S. will meet once more, though he didn’t specify when.
In the meantime, each Russia and Ukraine continued to launch assaults throughout their borders.
The Russian Protection Ministry mentioned Monday a Ukrainian drone attacked an oil pumping station in southern Russia that serves a pipeline carrying Kazakhstan’s Caspian Sea oil to the Russian port of Novorossiisk for export. It mentioned the drone was downed earlier than it might attain the pumping station.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned Monday the Russian navy has been fulfilling President Vladimir Putin’s order to halt assaults on vitality services for 30 days. He has accused Ukraine of derailing the partial ceasefire with assaults on Russia’s vitality services, together with a fuel metering station in Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk area.
Ukraine’s navy Common Workers rejected Moscow’s accusations and blamed the Russian navy for shelling the station, a declare Peskov known as “absurd.”
Zelenskyy mentioned Sunday night that “since March 11, a proposal for an unconditional ceasefire has been on the table, and these attacks could have already stopped. But it is Russia that continues all this.”
He added that Ukraine’s companions — “the U.S., Europe, and others around the world” — ought to improve stress on Russia “to stop this terror.”
Zelenskyy has emphasised that Ukraine is open to Trump’s proposal of a full, 30-day ceasefire. Putin has made an entire ceasefire conditional on a halt of arms provides to Kyiv and a suspension of Ukraine’s navy mobilization — calls for rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies.
China guidelines out supplying peacekeeping forces
Requested about stories speculating that China may ship peacekeepers to Ukraine to implement any peace deal, Chinese language Overseas Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun responded Monday with an unequivocal no.
“Let me stress that the report is completely false. China’s position on the Ukraine crisis is clear and consistent,” Guo mentioned at a briefing.
China has supplied Russia with commerce earnings from oil and different pure assets, together with diplomatic backing, however has not given any weapons or despatched any personnel. China is, nonetheless, on shut phrases with North Korea, which has despatched troops to battle alongside the Russian military.
Ukrainian railways hit by cyberattack
A “massive targeted cyberattack” hit Ukrainian state railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia on Sunday, the corporate wrote on Telegram, including that it was working to revive its techniques on Monday. The corporate mentioned the assault didn’t have an effect on prepare actions or schedules however disrupted its on-line reserving system.
“The railway continues to operate despite physical attacks on the infrastructure, and even the most vile cyberattacks cannot stop it,” the corporate wrote.
In the meantime, Ukraine’s Particular Operations Forces claimed Monday it destroyed 4 navy helicopters in Russia’s Belgorod area with using U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket techniques. It printed drone footage on its Telegram web page of what it mentioned was the assault.
The strikes occurred at a hid “jumping-off point” for Russian plane utilized in shock assaults on Ukrainian forces, the group mentioned.
A Russian missile struck the northern metropolis of Sumy, throughout the border from Russia’s Kursk area, hitting residential buildings and a faculty, mentioned regional head Volodymyr Artiukh. Youngsters on the faculty have been being evacuated on the time, and all have been protected, he added.
However the regional prosecutor’s workplace mentioned 65 individuals have been injured, together with 14 kids.
Earlier, Russia fired 99 assault and decoy drones into Ukraine in a single day, in line with Ukraine’s air pressure, of which 57 have been shot down.
Novikov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Related Press writers Christopher Bodeen in Beijing and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed.
