US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll held conferences with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi on Monday about a proposed plan for ending the conflict in Ukraine, with talks to proceed Tuesday, a US official instructed NCS.
The conferences, which observe days of intense diplomatic efforts as the US makes a contemporary push for a decision to the conflict, got here as Russia and Ukraine performed deadly strikes on one another in a single day Tuesday, with a minimum of six killed in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, and three useless in Russia’s Rostov area.
The talks with Russia, held after US-Ukraine talks in Geneva over the weekend, are supposed to lay the groundwork for higher-level engagements in the long run, the official mentioned, including that the Russian delegation is attending with President Vladimir Putin’s approval.
Driscoll is probably the most senior member of the American delegation in Abu Dhabi excluding any diplomats, the official mentioned. The make-up of Russia’s delegation was not instantly clear. The discussions will proceed Tuesday, the official mentioned.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned Monday that President Donald Trump is “hopeful and optimistic that a deal can be struck” to finish Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, following the negotiations in Geneva over a 28-point peace proposal which the US authored with Russian and Ukrainian enter.
The first draft of the proposal contained many concessions to Russia, together with provisions for Kyiv to cede its territory, surrender its NATO ambitions, and restrict the dimensions of its military.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned Monday that the brand new proposal now comprises “fewer points than 28, and many proper considerations have been taken into account in this framework.”
The Ukrainian delegation returned dwelling from Geneva and “reported on the new draft of steps,” Zelensky mentioned. “This is indeed the right approach. I will discuss sensitive issues with President Trump.”
The Kremlin has not mentioned a lot in regards to the US plan, however Putin has mentioned the US proposal “in principle, could form the basis for a final peace settlement.” He added that the model of the plan seen by Russia is “in line with the discussions” on the US-Russia summit in Alaska earlier this 12 months, however it’s not clear whether or not that model held up following days of conferences between the US and Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russia continued its assault on Ukraine, launching successive waves of strikes on Kyiv in a single day into Tuesday, which hit residential buildings in a number of districts.
Two folks have been killed, together with an 86-year-old lady, after a hearth broke out in a residential constructing in the town’s Dniprovskyi district, in line with the National Police of Ukraine.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv metropolis navy administration, mentioned 4 folks have been additionally killed in the town’s Svyatoshynskyi district and accused Russia of “deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure and housing.”
In Russia, three folks have been killed and 8 wounded in a Ukrainian assault in the Rostov area, in line with Governor Yuriy Slyusar. Russia’s Defense Ministry mentioned it intercepted 249 Ukrainian drones in a single day Tuesday.
NCS’s Svitlana Vlasova and Victoria Butenko contributed reporting.