Ceasefire Negotiations Stalled Amid Ongoing Violence in Ukraine
In a continuing struggle to establish a limited ceasefire in the ongoing conflict, Moscow and Kyiv’s efforts have been met with challenges as both sides continue to launch attacks against one another. US negotiators held discussions on Monday with Russian representatives to advocate for a proposed partial ceasefire in the three-year war over Ukraine. Though both parties had agreed in principle to a 30-day ceasefire last week, tensions escalated as drone and missile attacks persisted.
On Monday evening, Ukrainian officials revealed that a Russian missile attack resulted in the injury of 88 individuals in the city of Sumy, with reports indicating that children were among the casualties. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed the country’s suffering during his evening address: 'Every day like this, all the nights with Russian missiles and drones against our country, means losses, pain, and destruction that Ukraine never wanted.'
A significant point of contention in the negotiations relates to the limitations on attack targets. Initially, US negotiators proposed a ceasefire that would encompass both energy and broader infrastructure. However, the Kremlin countered that the agreement should focus solely on energy infrastructure. In light of this, Zelenskyy has voiced the need to include measures that protect critical infrastructure such as railways and ports.
In related developments, US President Donald Trump referenced discussions surrounding territorial lines and the prospect of US oversight over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, which has been under Russian control since early in the invasion. Trump commented on the potential for the United States to manage the power plant, stating, 'Some people are saying the United States should own the power plant, work it that way because we have the expertise to get the plant operating. Something like that would be fine with me.' However, Zelenskyy has publicly opposed the notion of US firms owning Ukrainian power facilities.
Efforts to finalize the ceasefire framework are ongoing, with US intermediaries expected to traverse between Russia and Ukraine to negotiate further terms and address measures to secure a separate ceasefire in the Black Sea region. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff conveyed that significant progress has already been made, indicating optimism regarding achieving a permanent ceasefire.
Witkoff claimed that the majority of people in the four regions claimed by Moscow—Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia—have expressed a preference for Russian governance, despite worldwide denunciation of the legitimacy of referendums held in these regions.
Grigory Karasin, the head of the foreign affairs committee in the upper house of Russia’s parliament, characterized the negotiations on Monday as 'creative', emphasizing that both US and Russian delegations are effectively grasping each other’s perspectives.
Zelenskyy stated that an unconditional ceasefire proposal has been on the negotiation table since March 11, suggesting that the ongoing attacks are perpetuated by Russia’s refusal to cease hostilities. He indicated that Ukrainian and US representatives are slated to reconvene, although specific dates for future meetings remain undisclosed.
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