Kyiv signaled a potential opening for negotiations even as Ukrainian naval drones struck a key Russian oil terminal and two tankers over the weekend,escalating attacks on Moscow’s energy infrastructure. The strikes, targeting facilities and vessels linked to oil exports, come amid a flurry of diplomatic activity for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, including planned talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and following a domestic shakeup prompted by a corruption investigation.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and a delegation including representatives close to former President Donald Trump have begun meetings with Ukrainian negotiators in Florida, as Kyiv faces increasing military and political pressure from Russia. The talks center on a proposed American plan to find a path toward ending the ongoing war.
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The Ukrainian negotiating team, led by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, began discussions around 10:10 a.m. local time with Secretary Blinken, along with Steve Witkoff, an envoy for Donald Trump, and Jared Kushner, the former president’s son-in-law. The meetings come as Ukraine continues to seek international support amid ongoing fighting.
PHOTO CHANDAN KHANNA, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“This isn’t just about ending the war,” Blinken said at the start of the meeting. “It’s about charting a path to enable Ukraine to remain sovereign, independent, and prosperous.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba stated that the discussions would focus on security guarantees for Ukraine and the country’s reconstruction. In a post on X, he added that his delegation’s mission was to “ensure Ukraine’s interests.”
The negotiations are taking place against a backdrop of escalating military tensions. A drone attack near Kyiv on Saturday night left at least one person dead and eleven injured, underscoring the continued threat to civilian populations.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sunday’s talks will build upon amendments to the U.S. plan that were negotiated last week in Geneva between American, Ukrainian, and European officials.
“Ending the War with Dignity”
The United States presented a 28-point proposal ten days ago aimed at resolving the conflict triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The plan, which has been criticized for allegedly favoring Moscow, has been revised and requires final approval from all parties involved, though Kyiv has expressed concerns about potentially significant concessions.
“The American side is constructive, and in the coming days, it will be possible to clarify the steps to be taken to determine how to end the war with dignity,” Zelenskyy affirmed on Saturday.
He is scheduled to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron again in Paris on Monday, days after dismissing a key aide following a large-scale corruption investigation within the energy sector.
On Saturday, naval drones were launched against a major oil terminal in the Russian port of Novorossiysk.
The terminal is used to export oil transported via one of the world’s largest oil pipelines, which originates from oil fields in Kazakhstan on the Caspian Sea and traverses Russia to the Black Sea. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which operates the pipeline, stated that a “terrorist attack” involving naval drones had disabled one of the terminal’s three mooring buoys, used for loading tankers at sea.
Tankers Attacked
Kyiv has not commented on this attack.
However, it did claim responsibility on Saturday for attacking two tankers in the Black Sea off the coast of Turkey, stating it had struck vessels from Russia’s shadow fleet used by Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions with naval drones.
A source within the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told Agence France-Presse that the tankers, the Kairos and the Virat, were targeted by “Sea Baby” drones during a joint operation between the SBU and the Ukrainian Navy.
The source said the tankers were empty at the time of the attack and were en route to the Russian port of Novorossiysk to be refueled.
In recent months, the Ukrainian military has regularly targeted oil sites and refineries in Russia in an attempt to disrupt the hydrocarbon revenues that fund Moscow’s war effort.
Meanwhile, Moscow continues its nightly massive attacks on Ukraine.
