High-level talks between European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are scheduled to take place in Germany as diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine grow. Earlier, Ukrainian and American negotiators held hours of talks on the US’s peace plan.
It is anticipated that a topic of discussion will be the issue of how to use Russian assets that have been frozen indefinitely in Belgium.
“Real progress” in peace talks with the United States, according to Ukraine’s top negotiator. In the second round of peace talks in Berlin aimed at putting an end to Russia’s war, Ukraine’s top peace negotiator claims that officials from the United States and Ukraine made “real progress.”
“Over the past two days, Ukrainian-US negotiations have been constructive and productive, with real progress achieved,” Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, wrote on X.
“The American team led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are working extremely constructively to help Ukraine find a way to a peace agreement that lasts.”
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If Ukraine falls, Germany could be Russia’s next target, according to FM Wadephul. The German foreign minister has expressed his concern that failing to provide assistance to Ukraine could open his nation to attack from Russia.
Johann Wadephul stated to Deutschlandfunk, a public broadcaster, that despite their disagreements, he believes the US government is committed to NATO and its mutual defense obligations to its European partners.
He added that the assertion that Europeans did not participate in the ceasefire negotiations is false. “Our steadfastness and our resolve to stand by Ukraine are independent factors that we do not make dependent on others. We would be the next in line if this fails in Ukraine or goes wrong. That is why we will give our full commitment to Ukraine,” he added.
Wadephul also said he believed that Russia must take the next step in the talks, following statements by Kyiv about possibly renouncing NATO membership in exchange for security guarantees and talks based on the current front lines.
Ukraine claims to have targeted Russian missile fuel and gas processing facilities. The Ukrainian military claims to have struck a plant producing missile fuel in the Rostov region and a gas-processing plant in the southern Russian city of Astrakhan.
In a statement, the General Staff of Kiev said that explosions had occurred at the Astrakhan plant. Separately, the head of Ukraine’s drone forces said his pilots had struck the Kamensky plant, which produces fuel for Iskander and Kinzhal missiles, among others.
