Washington invited Ukraine’s European allies to the latest round of talks in the United States on Friday, Kyiv said, amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts to settle the nearly four-year Russian invasion.
The meeting comes as the latest in the intense shuttle diplomacy kicked off by the US a month ago, with Washginton’s envoys travelling across the world to iron out details of a plan in the hopes of settling Europe’s biggest war in decades.
“Today, in the United States, together with Lieutenant General Andriy Gnatov, we will begin another round of consultations with the American side,” top Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said on social media.
“At the invitation of the American side, European partners are also involved in this format,” Umerov said.
Earlier this month, Umerov held meetings in Miami with Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and the US president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, without European involvement.
In November, the US shocked Europe with a 28-point plan to settle the war, which overlooked the continent’s main powers and was widely seen as favouring Russia.
The plan was amended by Ukraine and Europe, but Russia had yet to react to it, with President Vladimir Putin saying Friday the ball was now in the court of Kyiv and its Western allies.
Speaking at his annual press conference, Putin also vowed to press on with the war, with the Russian army currently holding the upper hand at the front.
Moscow, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, argues Europe’s involvement in the talks would only hinder the process.
Land remains the key stumbling block in the talks, and a source familiar with the negotiations told AFP earlier this week that the US was pushing Kyiv to cede territory in the eastern Donetsk region.
Ukraine has long ruled out giving up territory.
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