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ConflictZelenskyy discusses peace with US envoys Witkoff and Kushner
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a 'fruitful and important' conversation with US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about injecting new momentum into stalled peace negotiations to end the war with Russia. Zelenskyy emphasized Ukraine's readiness for a 'peace with dignity' and said teams from both countries remain in close contact. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday in Manila, Philippines, on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting, with the Ukraine and Iran wars expected to be the main topics. The negotiations, which have been mediated by the US, remain deadlocked as Moscow demands Ukrainian withdrawal from the entire Donetsk region, a condition Kyiv rejects. The war has continued for over four years with daily drone and missile attacks, while Ukraine has recently intensified counterattacks targeting Russian energy infrastructure and logistics.
Source report
The war reaches the daily lives of people in Russia. Ukraine sees the largest Russian mail-order company entangled in Moscow's war of aggression and therefore attacks its warehouses.
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner aim to bring new momentum to stalled peace negotiations in the Ukraine war, following consultations with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. What happens in Manila is now crucial.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he consulted with US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about ways to end the war with Russia. The discussion focused on "how to give new momentum to diplomacy and advance peace," Zelenskyy explained on Wednesday on X. He called the conversation "fruitful and important."
"Peace is necessary – a peace with dignity," Zelenskyy continued, adding: "Ukraine has been ready for this for a long time." The teams of both countries "remain in close contact."
Lavrov and Rubio to Meet in Manila
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has announced a meeting with his US counterpart Marco Rubio for Thursday in the Philippine capital Manila. The encounter on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting is likely to focus primarily on the wars in Ukraine and Iran.
Rubio told journalists that he had already briefly spoken with Lavrov on Tuesday and confirmed the meeting for Thursday. The foreign ministers last met in July 2025 in Malaysia – also within the framework of the Southeast Asian community ASEAN.
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Stalled Negotiations and Escalating Conflict
Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on ending the war, which has lasted more than four years, are stalled. Moreover, the US-mediated talks have been overshadowed by the Iran war. Moscow demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the entire eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk – Kyiv rejects this.
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Russia has been attacking Ukraine with drones and missiles almost daily since the start of its war of aggression. Ukraine has recently intensified its counterattacks, targeting Russian refineries, oil depots, cargo ships, and a mail-order company. US President Donald Trump recently endorsed Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure deep inside Russian territory, because this could help "bring it (the war) to an end."
AFP/dpa/sebe
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Zelenskyy Discusses Peace with US Envoys Witkoff and Kushner