European leaders prepare to lead negotiations with Putin as Zelenskyy calls for direct ceasefire talks

European leaders from Germany, France, and the UK are preparing to lead negotiations with Russia, backing Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's call for direct ceasefire talks with Vladimir Putin. This new European initiative, coordinated with the U.S., comes as American-led efforts have stalled. A joint statement calls for an immediate ceasefire, though Putin has so far rejected a direct meeting with Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy calls for direct talks

• ▪Vladimir Putin rejected the proposal, stating he saw "no point" in meeting Zelenskyy until a possible peace deal was agreed.
• ▪Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in Kyiv to pass a message to Vladimir Putin.
• ▪Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin last week proposing a face-to-face meeting.

European leaders back ceasefire proposal

• ▪The leaders of Germany, France, and the U.K. are preparing to assume the leading role in negotiations to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
• ▪The European diplomatic effort comes as US-led negotiations have stalled and Washington's focus has shifted to the Middle East.
• ▪The European initiative is being conducted in "close coordination with the U.S.," according to a German spokesperson.
• ▪Another condition is that Russian assets must remain frozen until Russia ceases its aggression and compensates Ukraine for damages.
• ▪The joint statement's conditions for peace include an immediate ceasefire and that the current contact line be the starting point for negotiations.
• ▪The UK, France, Germany, and Ukraine issued a joint statement supporting a proposal for direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia.

Chernobyl nuclear facility drone strike

• ▪The facility's fuel reception building was "partially destroyed," but radiation levels remained normal, according to Ukraine's nuclear operator Energoatom.
• ▪Over the weekend, a Russian drone strike damaged a nuclear storage facility near the Chernobyl disaster site.
• ▪The International Atomic Energy Agency is dispatching a team to inspect the damage at the Chernobyl facility.

Civilian casualties from drone attacks

• ▪Kyiv has been asking its Western allies for more ammunition for its air defences to counter daily Russian strikes.
• ▪A Russian bombardment of a public transport stop in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region killed at least two people.
• ▪In Russia's Belgorod border region, a Ukrainian drone strike on a car killed a woman and injured her husband.

Russian territorial occupation in Ukraine

• ▪Russia currently occupies about one-fifth of Ukraine's territory, including the Crimean Peninsula and parts of four other regions.
• ▪Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, has now stretched into its fifth year.

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