Ukraine allies give cautious welcome to ‘modified’ peace framework

European allies of Ukraine person fixed a cautious invited to efforts to refine a United States bid connection initially criticised for appearing to beryllium weighted successful favour of Russia’s maximalist demands.

The leaders Germany, Finland, Poland and the United Kingdom were among those agreeing connected Monday that advancement had been made successful the erstwhile day’s talks betwixt Washington and Kyiv successful Geneva that yielded what the US and Ukraine called a “refined bid framework”.

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Still, the European leaders stressed enactment remained to beryllium done.

“It was imaginable to wide up immoderate questions, but we besides cognize that determination won’t beryllium bid successful Ukraine overnight,” said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, adding that the bid program initially drafted by the US had been “modified successful important parts”.

He welcomed the “interim result”.

“The adjacent measurement indispensable beryllium that Russia indispensable travel to the table,” helium said from Angola, wherever helium was attending a acme betwixt African and European Union countries. “This is simply a laborious process. It volition determination guardant astatine astir successful smaller steps this week. I bash not expect determination to beryllium a breakthrough this week.”

US President Donald Trump had blindsided Kyiv and its European countries past week with a 28-point bid program criticised by immoderate arsenic a Russian privation database that called for Ukraine to cede much territory, judge limits connected its subject and wantonness its ambitions to articulation NATO.

Britain, France and Germany responded by drafting up a counter-proposal that would cease warring astatine contiguous beforehand lines, leaving discussions of territory for later, and see a NATO-style US information warrant for Ukraine, according to a draught seen by Reuters quality agency.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Ukraine’s allies successful the “coalition of the willing” – a wide word for astir 30 countries supporting Kyiv – volition clasp talks astir the negotiations connected Tuesday by video.

The German Foreign Office said that main diplomats of Germany, Finland, France, the UK, Italy and Poland consulted Monday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha connected further steps toward ending the war.

Also attending the acme successful Angola, European Council President Antonio Costa said determination was “new momentum” successful negotiations.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union would “engage further time with our partners from the conjugation of the willing”.

‘Big progress’

On Monday, Trump indicated Sunday’s talks had gone well.

“Is it truly imaginable that large advancement is being made successful Peace Talks betwixt Russia and Ukraine??? Don’t judge it until you spot it, but thing bully conscionable whitethorn beryllium happening,” the US President wrote connected Truth Social.

Trump had fixed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is nether the doubled unit of Russia’s continued beforehand connected the beforehand enactment and a corruption ungraded that has tainted his administration, until Thursday to hold to a model to extremity the war. He besides accused Zelenskyy of showing “zero gratitude” for bid efforts.

Zelenskyy said connected X connected Monday that helium was expecting a afloat study that evening connected the Geneva talks.

“To execute existent peace, more, much is needed. Of course, we each proceed moving with partners, particularly the United States, and look for compromises that fortify but not weaken us,” helium said.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk besides said connected Monday that negotiations were a “delicate matter” since “no 1 wants to discourage Americans and President Trump from having the United States connected our broadside successful this process”.

The Kremlin said it had not been informed of the results of the Geneva talks, but that it was alert that “adjustments” were made to the US proposal.

In a telephone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan connected Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin repeated his presumption that the archetypal US program could “serve arsenic a ground for a last bid settlement”.

During the call, Erdogan said Turkiye was acceptable to enactment efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine together, including helping to facilitate nonstop talks betwixt the two.

However, Russian statesmanlike adjutant Yury Ushakov said the European program appeared “entirely unconstructive and unsuitable for us”, according to a study successful the Russian state-run TASS quality agency.

Reporting from Moscow, Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova said Russia was improbable to judge the European revisions.

“If each Russian conditions and interests are not taken into account, Russia is acceptable to proceed warring because, according to Vladimir Putin, Russia is beauteous palmy connected the battlefield and it wants to execute its goals,” she said.

In comments made by video to a gathering astatine the Swedish Parliament, Zelenskyy had indicated that territory would inactive beryllium a cardinal sticking point, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of seeking “legal designation for what helium has stolen”.

Grim reality

Russia’s penetration of Ukraine has decimated the eastbound of the country, forcing millions to fly their homes, ravaging towns and cities, and sidesplitting tens of thousands successful Europe’s worst struggle since World War II.

On Monday, the warfare continued to grind on, with Russian forces keeping up their deadly and devastating strikes connected civilian areas portion making battlefield advances successful Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhia region.

Russian drones deed residential areas of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest metropolis overnight, sidesplitting 4 radical and wounding 13, including 2 children, authorities said.

On Monday, Russian forces struck the metropolis of Pavlohrad successful Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk portion with drones, wounding 3 radical and damaging concern facilities, according to determination authorities.

That morning, Russian shelling killed a 61-year-old pistillate successful Kherson, according to the subject medication of the metropolis successful confederate Ukraine.

Across the border, Russian aerial defences downed Ukrainian drones en way to Moscow, forcing 3 airports serving the superior to intermission flights.

A reported Ukrainian drone onslaught connected Sunday knocked powerfulness retired for thousands of residents adjacent Moscow, a uncommon reversal of Russian attacks connected vigor targets that regularly origin powerfulness blackouts for millions of Ukrainians.