Ukraine won’t recognise a peace deal negotiated by the US and Russia if it’s not concerned within the talks, Volodymyr Zelensky has stated.
The Ukrainian president insisted he would rebut any deal struck in Saudi Arabia to finish the long-running battle after he was excluded from the negotiating table.
Senior American and Russian officers, together with the nations’ high diplomats, will start negotiating an finish to the battle on Tuesday in Riyadh, in what’s the most important assembly between the perimeters since Moscow’s full-scale invasion.
Earlier than negotiations had even begun, Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s overseas minister, dominated out any territorial concessions to Ukraine.
The swiftly organized assembly between Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has despatched Kyiv and key allies scrambling to make sure a seat on the desk amid concerns that Washington and Moscow could press ahead with a deal with out them.
“We can’t recognise any issues or agreements about us with out us. And we won’t recognise such agreements,” Mr Zelensky stated.
“Absolutely, there’s a bilateral observe there. And the US has the suitable to take action if they’ve bilateral points. To be sincere, they talked about it earlier than. Solely now have they began speaking publicly. Again then, it was like dangerous manners — to speak to an aggressor throughout wartime.”
Putin calls for Ukraine surrender Nato bid
Putin has demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the 4 areas that Russia annexed in September 2022 and surrender its bid to join Nato as a part of any potential peace deal.
Mr Trump, who has not stated whether or not he’ll proceed very important army help to Ukraine, has stated he needs $500 billion in rare earth minerals from Kyiv and that Washington’s assist must be “secured”.
Mr Zelsnsky is travelling to Turkey on Tuesday, earlier than heading to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday – nonetheless, he’s not anticipated to satisfy with Russian or American officers.
Mr Lavrov dominated out any territorial concessions to Ukraine.
“Territorial concessions to what’s now referred to as Ukraine have been made by the Soviet management in the course of the formation of the USSR,” he stated earlier than heaping scorn on a Ukrainian bid to do a deal giving the US entry to uncommon earth minerals.
“How ought to we give in – with Russian individuals or with rare earth metals?” Mr Lavrov added.
Sergei Lavrov speaks throughout a information convention in Moscow, Russia, on Monday – Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool AFP
The talks in Saudi Arabia mark one other pivotal step by Mr Trump’s administration to reverse US coverage on isolating Russia, and are supposed to pave the way in which for a gathering between the president and Putin.
Elsewhere, Britain grew to become the primary European army energy to announce that it was ready to deploy troops to Ukraine.
“The UK is able to play a number one position in accelerating work on safety ensures for Ukraine. This contains additional assist for Ukraine’s army – the place the UK has already dedicated £3 billion a yr till not less than 2030,” Sir Keir Starmer, the British Prime Minister, wrote in The Telegraph.
“But it surely additionally means being prepared and prepared to contribute to safety ensures to Ukraine by putting our own troops on the ground if crucial. I don’t say that calmly. I really feel very deeply the duty that comes with probably placing British servicemen and girls in hurt’s method.”
Ukraine and several other EU nations have insisted that with out safety ensures, Russia might invade the nation once more, even when a settlement is reached.
These ensures might embody Nato membership, which Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, poured cold water on last week.
Ukraine has additionally expressed hopes of becoming a member of the EU, however that’s difficult and will take years.
Zelensky to go to Turkey
Mr Zelensky will go to Turkey on Tuesday to satisfy Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, the Turkish presidency’s communications director stated on Monday.
In a press release on X, Fahrettin Altun stated Mr Zelensky and Mr Erdogan will talk about methods to enhance cooperation and bilateral ties, the most recent developments in Ukraine in addition to regional and world points.
On the bottom in Russia, a drone strike hit a pumping station on an oil pipeline, decreasing flows from Kazakhstan to world markets pumped by Western companies together with Chevron and Exxon Mobil, its operator stated on Monday.
Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), stated drones struck the Kropotkinskaya station within the southern Krasnodar area, the place work was halted to analyze the harm.
It stated seven drones have been concerned within the strike, which it referred to as an act of terrorism.
An official at Ukraine’s SBU safety service stated that Kyiv had hit the pumping station and close by Ilsky oil refinery utilizing drones.
Not less than 20 explosions have been heard within the neighborhood of the refinery, the official stated, asking to not be named, including that the oil services have been getting used to provide Russia’s army in its three-year battle in Ukraine.
Ukrainian drones have repeatedly focused Russian vitality infrastructure in current months, together with within the Krasnodar area, however Monday’s assault could be the primary on services involving Western oil majors.
The CPC pipeline is the principle export route for Kazakhstan, which provides about 1 per cent of the world’s oil.
Shell and Italy’s Eni are additionally amongst its shareholders, as is the Russian state.
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