Ukraine and America are discussing post-war arrangements and upcoming tripartite talks

On the other hand, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed that his country is not in a rush to reach a peace agreement, explaining that Moscow does not set deadlines, but rather focuses on achieving its goals. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also stressed that it is too early to determine stages or expectations for the peace path.

These diplomatic moves coincided with intense Russian attacks at night on Ukraine using hundreds of drones and missiles, which resulted in dozens of injuries and damage to infrastructure and residential buildings in several regions, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Prior to the talks, Moscow announced the handover of Kiev has the remains of a thousand Ukrainian soldiers in exchange for the bodies of 35 Russian soldiers, as part of exchanges that are considered one of the few tangible results of the ongoing negotiations.

Negotiations to end the war in Ukraine

The Ukrainian president also made a phone call with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, in which he discussed preparations for a new round of tripartite negotiations scheduled for the beginning of next March, at a time when Russia announced that its economic envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, would go to Geneva to complete economic discussions with the American side.

Washington continues its pressure to end the war that has been ongoing since February 2022, but Kiev and the European countries believe that American pressure is more focused on Ukraine than on Russia. Zelensky stressed that his country cannot accept pressures that exceed those imposed on the aggressor party.

The negotiations are still stalled, especially regarding the fate of the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, as Moscow demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the disputed areas, which Kiev strongly rejects.