Russia and Ukraine resume hostilities after US-mediated peace talks
Hours after concluding a US-mediated trilateral negotiation, Russian and Ukrainian forces exchanged attacks, while both sides discussed a prisoner swap and territorial issues.
Russian and Ukrainian forces launched attacks on each other just hours after ending a United States-mediated trilateral peace discussion. The talks, which involved delegations from both sides, resulted in an agreement to prepare a major prisoner exchange, but disagreements persisted over territory and the role of Europe in future negotiations.
Ukrainian delegate David Arakhamia described the session as "some of the toughest yet," noting that Russian demands left little room for compromise.
"Every inch of our land will be returned," said Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, adding that Ukraine was "an abscess that burst" and calling for a new European security architecture.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said territorial questions were a central topic and that U.S. mediators were exploring various proposals, particularly for the Donbas region.
"They believe that to stop this war, we must leave our own territory. It is impossible to speak to us in such a way when it concerns the independence of our country," Zelenskyy told reporters in Dublin.
A senior Ukrainian official, speaking anonymously, said one proposal involved transferring parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to another oblast if fighting ceased along current front lines, but emphasized that Ukraine would not recognize the occupied areas as Russian territory.