Ukraine, Russia position for peace talks ahead of pivotal White House visits
LONDON -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to his U.S. and European partners not to "abandon" Kyiv in any revived peace talks with Russia, aimed at ending the war between the two nations now nearly three years old.
The return of President Donald Trump to the White House has raised the prospect of renewed negotiations, with the president telling reporters this weekend he had been "making progress" in contacts with Kyiv and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In an interview with Britain's ITV News published this weekend, Zelenskyy said he "would be ready for any format for talks" if there was "an understanding that America and Europe will not abandon us and they will support us and provide security guarantees."
Russian officials have expressed openness to renewed talks, but have not indicated any willingness to downgrade Moscow's longstanding war goals of annexing swaths of Ukraine and blocking Kyiv's ambitions to join NATO.
Putin has said he's not willing to negotiate directly with Zelenskyy, dismissing the Ukrainian leader as "illegitimate."
A top Russian official on Monday told state-owned news agency RIA Novosti that Moscow has not yet received any suitable negotiating proposals from the Trump administration.
"We approach such statements realistically. It is important that words are supported by practical steps that take into account Russia's legitimate interests, demonstrate a willingness to root out the root causes of the crisis and recognize new realities. No specific proposals of this nature have been received yet," Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said.
The diplomatic maneuvering continues as White House officials prepare to travel to both Germany and Ukraine, with fresh high-level peace talk discussions expected.
Vice President JD Vance is expected to attend next weekend the Munich Security Conference in southern Germany, where Zelenskyy is expected to lead Kyiv's delegation.
Trump's Ukraine-Russia envoy, Keith Kellogg, is then expected to visit Ukraine on Feb. 20.
In his interview with ITV, Zelenskyy warned the White House against simply freezing the conflict along the current front line.
"A frozen conflict will lead to more aggression again and again," the Ukrainian leader said. "Who then will win prizes and go down in history as the victor? No one. It will be an absolute defeat for everyone, both for us, as is important, and for Trump."
While preparing for new talks, both Moscow and Kyiv continued their exchange of large-scale drone attacks on Sunday night.
Ukraine's air force said on Telegram that it downed 61 of 83 Russian drones launched toward the country, with another 22 drones lost in flight.
Officials reported damage to a non-residential building in Kyiv after falling drone debris sparked a fire. One woman was injured in the city of Sumy after a drone detonated in a parking lot, officials said.
Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said it shot down 17 Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea, Crimea and several Russian regions.
Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Russia's southern Krasnodar region, said on Telegram that debris from a Ukrainian drone damaged a multistory building but caused no casualties.
Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation -- which operates as part of the country's National Security and Defense Council -- said on Telegram that drones targeted the Afipsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region.
ABC News' Will Gretsky and Max Uzol contributed to this report.
