TOP OFFICIALS ARRIVE IN GENEVA
Rubio and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrived on Sunday for the hastily convened Geneva meeting.
“We hope to iron out the final details … to draft a deal that is advantageous to them (Ukraine),” a US official said. “Nothing will be agreed on until the two presidents get together,” the official said, referring to Trump and Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy welcomed the diplomatic efforts in Geneva, saying that he hoped they would lead to a result. Before the gathering, US and Ukrainian officials held constructive talks, a US official said.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he would speak to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday about Ukraine and share the outcome with European and US allies.
A PERILOUS MOMENT FOR UKRAINE
The draft plan, which includes many of Russia’s key demands and offers only vague assurances to Ukraine of “robust security guarantees”, comes at a perilous moment for the country.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday that Ukraine’s borders cannot be changed by force, its army cannot be left vulnerable to attack and that the European Union must have a central role in a Ukraine peace deal.
Russia has been making gains on parts of the front, albeit slowly and, according to Western and Ukrainian officials, the advances have been extremely costly in terms of lives lost.
The transportation hub of Pokrovsk has been partially taken by Russian forces and Ukrainian commanders say they do not have enough soldiers to prevent small, persistent incursions.
Ukraine’s power and gas facilities have been pummelled by drone and missile attacks, meaning millions of people are without water, heating and power for hours each day.
Zelenskyy himself has been under pressure domestically after a major corruption scandal broke, ensnaring some of his ministers and people in his close entourage.
Kyiv had taken heart in recent weeks after the US tightened sanctions on Russia’s oil sector, the main source of funding for the war, while its own long-range drone and missile strikes have caused considerable damage to the industry.
But the draft peace plan appears to hand the diplomatic advantage back to Moscow. Ukraine relies heavily on US intelligence and weapons to sustain its war against Russia.
Source: CNA
