Mark your calendars for April 20th, a symbolic date when both Catholic and Orthodox Easter will be celebrated. Against this backdrop, peace talks in Ukraine have commenced in Saudi Arabia between the teams of Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, in preparation for the upcoming meeting between Washington and Moscow representatives on Monday.
President Trump and his team, led by special envoy Steve Witkoff, have expressed optimism about the possibility of ending the worst conflict in Europe since World War II, despite the recent escalation of attacks on the ground. They have dismissed efforts by Britain and France to bolster Ukrainian defenses and the European plan to establish long-term security guarantees as mere “posturing.” Witkoff, a key player in Trump’s foreign policy, stated, “Putin doesn’t want to conquer all of Europe. The situation today is very different from World War II,” emphasizing that the Kremlin leader is not “a bad person, he is very intelligent.” “I have the impression that he wants peace,” Witkoff highlighted on Fox News, expressing confidence that concrete progress will emerge from Monday’s talks with Moscow, such as “an initial ceasefire in the Black Sea leading to a complete truce.”
The Kremlin has downplayed American expectations for a swift resolution of the conflict, noting that negotiations with the United States will be “difficult.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated, “We are only at the beginning of this journey,” while confirming that Moscow’s main focus will be on reviving an agreement to ensure safe navigation for commercial ships in the Black Sea, particularly for grain shipments as seen between 2022 and 2023.
As the talks in Riyadh kicked off, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, leading the Kiev delegation, declared on Facebook, “We are implementing the directive of our president to move closer to a just peace and strengthen security.” Zelensky, in his customary evening address, deemed the ongoing talks in Riyadh with the Americans “useful” and continued to push for “strengthening sanctions against Russian terrorists. New solutions and pressures on Moscow are needed to stop these attacks and this war. We must bolster Ukraine and our army: more air defense and real assistance,” emphasized the Ukrainian leader in response to recent Moscow attacks.
Ukrainian authorities reported that a Russian drone attack in Kiev overnight killed at least three people, including a 5-year-old child, causing fires in buildings and widespread damage in the capital. Meanwhile, Russian sources claimed their air defenses destroyed 59 Ukrainian drones targeting the southwestern regions of the country, with one casualty reported in Rostov.
The situation remains highly tense, far from the quick peace Trump envisions. The American president, however, assured that efforts “to prevent further escalation of the conflict are underway.” “I have a good relationship with Putin and Zelensky, and no one else, except for me, can stop the war in Ukraine,” reiterated the commander-in-chief, already contemplating a Nobel Peace Prize. “Obama received it for no reason, he didn’t even know why, he did nothing. If I were a Democratic president, I would win it.”
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA
