Zelensky welcomes 'changes' in US approach

Résumé détaillé

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was "happy" with US mediators' change in approach during talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi, which are set to continue into a second day.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was "happy" with US mediators' change in approach during talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi, set to continue into a second day, but emphasised the need for security guarantees for his country.

Representatives from Ukraine and Russia began negotiations in the Emirati capital yesterday, the first since February when discussions reached a stalemate and the US was sidetracked by the Iran war.

US envoys, including President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and businessman Steve Witkoff, are mediating the talks.

The first meeting lasted several hours and aimed to make progress towards resolving the war in Ukraine and - according to the US - working on a "new" security framework that includes Europe.

Mr Kushner told delegates the United States had "narrowed the gaps" between the warring sides, without providing details, and hoped to move towards a "solution" to Europe's worst conflict since World War II.

Mr Zelensky, speaking in Copenhagen yesterday, said the talks were "constructive and quite substantive", adding his team had reported that humanitarian issues and security guarantees were among the topics discussed.

Asked about changes in the approach to peace talks by Mr Kushner and Mr Witkoff, Mr Zelensky said: "I see changes. I'm very happy with what I hear."

The Ukrainian president said negotiators in Abu Dhabi were working on a "large-scale exchange of prisoners", adding that US officials would travel to Russia to discuss the matter further.

However, fighting continued overnight. The governor of Russia's Leningrad region, Aleksandr Drozdenko, posted on Telegram that a Ukrainian drone attack had sparked a fire at Ust-Luga, a key Baltic port for oil exports.

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