Zelenskyy says aides to meet Trump team in New York on Friday

Ukrainian president says diplomacy to extremity Russian penetration intensifying arsenic squad visits Middle East, Europe and US.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his officials volition conscionable representatives of United States President Donald Trump successful New York arsenic portion of intensified mediation efforts to extremity the warfare with Russia.

Speaking during his nightly code connected Wednesday, Zelenskyy besides announced the assignment of a caller Ukrainian ambassador to the US, saying erstwhile Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna would regenerate Oksana Markarova, who has served successful the relation since 2021.

Zelenskyy said helium had outlined to Stefanishyna “the cardinal tasks of invigorating the enactment of our embassy”.

“Much of Ukraine’s semipermanent information depends connected relations with America,” helium said, adding that assuring continued weapons transfers from the US was a apical priority.

US President Donald Trump’s peculiar envoy, Steve Witkoff, had earlier told US media helium expected to clasp talks with Ukrainian officials this week.

The US president had met Zelenskyy earlier this month, conscionable days aft holding a acme with Russian President Vladimir Putin successful Alaska.

Still, a projected gathering betwixt Zelenskyy and Putin has remained elusive, with Zelenskyy connected Wednesday decrying “very arrogant and antagonistic signals from Moscow regarding the negotiations”.

He called for “pressure” to beryllium exerted to “force Russia to instrumentality existent steps”.

The Ukrainian person spoke arsenic his authorities delegation has been touring the Middle East and Europe, visiting Qatar connected Tuesday and Saudi Arabia connected Wednesday earlier heading to Switzerland connected Thursday.

In Riyadh, Zelenskyy’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said successful a station connected Telegram that helium had met with the Saudi defence curate and nationalist information adviser.

He said the talks were focused connected paths to bid successful Ukraine and Saudi Arabia’s information successful this process.

No nonstop gathering planned

Diplomatic enactment has accrued successful caller weeks to extremity Russia’s penetration of Ukraine, which began successful February 2022.

But contempt Trump’s August 15 summit with Putin successful Alaska and consequent White House discussions with Zelenskyy and European leaders, small advancement has been made successful negotiations.

Putin has repeatedly demanded that immoderate colony see Russian power of the Donbas portion of Ukraine, a presumption that Kyiv has roundly rejected.

Trump initially took a combative attack to Zelenskyy upon taking bureau successful January, but has since softened his presumption portion voicing expanding vexation with Putin.

He has remained sceptical of US assistance to Ukraine, but earlier this week said that Washington volition warrant Ukraine’s information successful immoderate woody with Russia.

He has besides threatened caller sanctions connected Moscow if talks proceed to stall, but has remained ambiguous astir Russia’s territorial ambitions.

Speaking to reporters connected Tuesday, Trump acknowledged the imaginable of a Putin-Zelenskyy gathering remained uncertain.

That came aft Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said past week that nary specified gathering was planned, adding that Putin would beryllium acceptable erstwhile a wide docket was established.

Zelenskyy had earlier invited Putin to nonstop talks successful Turkiye successful May, but the Russian person refused.

Fighting grinds on

Amid the diplomatic flurry, fighting continued successful Ukraine connected Wednesday.

In its regular update, Ukraine’s General Staff reported that Russian forces launched 2 rocket strikes and 64 aerial strikes, including 109 guided aerial bombs, alongside 4,625 shelling attacks.

That included 21 barrages from aggregate motorboat rocket systems (MLRS) and 3,891 kamikaze drones.

Air strikes targeted Stara Huta successful the Sumy region, Bilohiria and Preobrazhenka successful Zaporizhia, and Antonivka successful Kherson, the connection said.

Russian forces besides made ground, taking Zaporizke and Novoheorhiivka successful Dnipropetrovsk region, the monitoring radical DeepState reported, portion making gains adjacent Shevchenko, Bila Hora, and Oleksandr-Shultyno.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its aerial defences changeable down 191 Ukrainian drones, six guided aerial bombs, and a long-range guided rocket successful a azygous day, according to the authorities quality bureau TASS.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies