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Zelenskyy: Waiting on US, Russia Talks 03/16 07:02
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in
comments released Sunday that he was ready for the next round of trilateral
peace talks to end Russia's more than 4-year-old invasion of Ukraine, but that
it was up to Washington and Moscow to agree on where and when to meet.
Zelenskyy said the U.S. had proposed hosting the next meeting between
American, Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams, which include U.S. envoys
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, but Moscow had refused to send a delegation.
"We are waiting for a response from the Americans. Either they will change
the country where we meet, or the Russians must confirm the U.S," Zelenskyy
said in a media briefing Saturday. "We are not blocking any of these
initiatives. We want a trilateral meeting to take place."
The U.S. has postponed its sponsored talks between the two sides due to the
war in the Middle East. The Iran war, which erupted on Feb. 28 following
U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and spread across the region, has drawn the
international spotlight away from Ukraine's plight as it strives to hold back
Russia's bigger army.
Speaking to journalists, Zelenskyy also warned of a "very high" risk that
the Iran war could drain the air defense stockpiles Ukraine depends on to
counter Russian missile strikes.
Zelenskyy said he lacked a clear picture of available stockpiles and had
discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday whether
SAMP/T systems could serve as an alternative to U.S.-made Patriot batteries for
intercepting ballistic missiles. He said Ukraine would be "first in line" to
test any viable alternative.
US requested Ukrainian drone assistance
He also appeared to push back against U.S. President Donald Trump's recent
assertion that Washington has no need for Ukrainian drone technology.
"No, we don't need their help on drone defense," Trump said in a Fox News
Radio interview that aired Friday.
Zelenskyy said Washington had reached out to Ukraine "several times" to
request assistance for a particular country or for support for Americans,
without giving specifics. He said the requests had come from various U.S.
military institutions to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense and other military
leaders.
"All our institutions received these requests, and we responded to them,"
Zelenskyy said.
He said he had offered Washington a defense cooperation deal last year worth
$35 billion--$50 billion that would have given the U.S. administration access
to technology from roughly 200 Ukrainian drone, AI and electronic warfare
firms, with half of all production earmarked for partners, primarily the U.S.
According to the Ukrainian leader, American military officials had expressed
strong interest in the proposal, and Trump himself had indicated he was
receptive.
"We received a message from them, and directly from the president as well,
that they are interested," Zelenskyy told reporters. "We did not sign the
document with President Trump. I do not have an answer as to why. Perhaps it
will happen later, but I am not sure."
Zelenskyy warns of 'blackmail' over oil transit
With regard to reopening the Druzhba pipeline, which until late January
transported Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, Zelenskyy said he was against
allowing Russian oil to transit through Ukraine while the EU imposes sanctions
on its sale elsewhere.
"Why can we, in one case, tell the United States that we oppose lifting
sanctions, while on the other hand forcing Ukraine to resume oil transit
through Druzhba -- and at a political price that effectively pays for
anti-European policies?" Zelenskyy said. The U.S. has temporarily eased some
sanctions on Russian oil shipments, reflecting global concerns over sharply
higher crude prices due to supply shortages stemming from the Iran war.
Zelenskyy said if conditions imposed on Ukraine because of the dispute
threatened weapons supplies, Kyiv would have no choice but to resume oil
transit, but said he told EU partners this would amount to "blackmail."
Oil deliveries through the Druzhba have been halted since Jan. 27, leading
to an escalating feud between Hungary and Ukraine. The Ukrainian government
says that a Russian drone strike damaged the pipeline's infrastructure, but
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn has accused Zelenskyy of deliberately
holding up oil supplies.
In response, Orbn vetoed a new round of EU sanctions against Russia, and is
blocking a major 90-billion euro ($106 billion) EU loan for Ukraine until flows
are resumed.
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