Global
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance announced on Thursday that Moscow and Kyiv have reached an agreement to return to the negotiating table in an effort to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Vance told reporters in Cincinnati, Ohio, that both countries agreed to resume dialogue, noting that significant differences over certain negotiation issues had prevented a peace agreement so far. Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that reaching a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine faces major challenges, emphasizing the need to address the root causes that led Moscow to launch its special military operation in a fundamental and sustainable manner. Ryabkov remarked at the economic forum in Nizhny Novgorod that current efforts focus on finding a way out of the Ukrainian crisis and its repercussions, considering the path to a settlement to be difficult. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky viewed the recent Russian strikes overnight as evidence of no change in Moscow's stance despite renewed U.S. diplomatic efforts. Zelensky posted on Telegram that the precisely targeted Russian attack came almost immediately after a series of talks, indicating that Moscow’s position remains unchanged. It is noteworthy that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has persisted for over four years, following Moscow's launch of the so-called "special military operation" on February 24, 2022. Since then, Russia has maintained that any settlement must consider the root causes of the crisis, while Ukraine and its Western allies insist on the withdrawal of Russian forces and respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Recent months have seen repeated diplomatic attempts to revive negotiations and reach a ceasefire, but ongoing differences between the parties over settlement terms continue to hinder tangible progress toward ending the conflict.
