Russia does not confirm ‘European participation’… “Ukraine, large-scale drone attack”
(Rome = Yonhap News) Correspondent Min Gyeong-rak = Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the 13th (local time), “Europe will be included in the negotiating team during the next war-end negotiations.”
According to Ukrainian media Kiwi Independent, President Zelensky made this statement after meeting with U.S. presidential special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in Dublin, Ireland, where the European Political Community (EPC) summit was held.
President Zelensky emphasized that “European representatives will participate directly in the negotiations rather than holding separate talks.” Major European countries sent delegations to the trilateral war ending negotiations between the United States, Russia, and Ukraine held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the 10th and 11th, but were unable to enter the conference hall due to opposition from Russia and only met with the Ukrainian delegation separately.
“It is important for us for Europe to have its say because the war is taking place in Europe,” President Zelenskyy said. Special Envoy Kushner interpreted that Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he had met the day before, had agreed to Europe's participation in the negotiations, saying, "I am willing to give (Europe's participation in the negotiations) a try."
However, the Kremlin has not officially confirmed Europe's participation in the negotiations. When U.S. envoys requested Europe's participation in negotiations the day before, President Putin said, "The United States must figure out whether Europe wants peace or war in Ukraine."
President Zelensky expressed expectations about the prisoner exchange agreed upon in the Abu Dhabi war-ending negotiations, saying, “It will be the largest in history.” However, there was no mention of the humanitarian activity to evacuate residents of the Donetsk region of Ukraine, which President Putin proposed the previous day. The day before, President Putin proposed to the U.S. envoys the removal of mines in Kostiantinivka, Donetsk region, to evacuate isolated residents.
The two sides agreed to a local ceasefire in the middle of last month to evacuate stranded residents in Oleshiki, Ukraine. This was recorded as the longest ceasefire ever since the outbreak of war, but after the ceasefire ended, both sides accused each other of abusing the ceasefire for rearmament, so it is unclear whether another local ceasefire will be achieved.
There is also speculation that President Putin's proposal is intended to demonstrate Russia's control on the front lines. President Putin proposed humanitarian activities and said, “Through this operation, the international community will be able to figure out who is actually controlling this city.”
Immediately after completing the trilateral war-ending negotiations in Abu Dhabi, the U.S. special envoy visited Moscow and Dublin sequentially and met with President Putin and President Zelenskyy one after another.
Even as discussions on the end of the war continue, the fighting between the two sides continues.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that it shot down about 1,200 Ukrainian drones overnight, making it one of the largest drone attacks ever. It is reported that four civilians working at an oil refinery in the Volgograd region of southern Russia were killed in this attack. The Russian military said it hit a cargo ship in the Black Sea near Odessa, Ukraine.
