There was no direct reaction from Ukraine to the American-Russian plan. Zelensky, however, implored Trump to work for a just peace. “Only President Trump and the USA have enough strength to bring this war to an end,” he wrote on social networks.
After talks in Ankara, he thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for continuing to host negotiations. But the most important thing for an end to the bloodshed and a lasting peace is that the USA gets involved strongly and effectively. In Ankara, Erdogan called for new talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul. As with Trump’s peace initiative for Gaza, Qatar and Turkey are also said to be involved in the Ukraine plan, according to Axios.
Little was known about the plan in European capitals. EU circles in Brussels said that the USA was in talks with both warring parties, but the new plan had not yet been seen. Currently, Russia seems to be more interested in spreading such news. It is a kind of diversionary tactic because the pressure from US sanctions against the Russian oil industry has increased.
The news portal “Politico” quoted an unnamed representative of the Trump administration as assessing that Zelensky would have to give in under pressure at home and on the front lines. The suggestions made are reasonable. Little consideration was given to the European allies.
Zelensky meets a US military delegation in Kyiv today. It is led by Daniel Driscoll, the undersecretary of defense for the army in the US Department of Defense. In a conversation on Wednesday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal tried to portray Ukraine as a reliable and important partner of the United States. His country has something to offer in drone technology.
Rescue work continued in the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil after a heavy Russian air strike on Wednesday night. According to the National Police, 26 bodies had been counted by evening. There were also 93 injuries. President Zelensky said people were still missing in the rubble of a nine-story apartment block. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, a Ch-101 cruise missile hit the building.
