Ukraine conflict 'fighting and negotiating'

US and Ukrainian officials continued to hold a round of negotiations in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) on March 25, following a round of negotiations between the two sides on March 23 and between the US and Russia on March 24. "We are still working with the US side," AFP quoted a member of the Ukrainian delegation as telling the press.

Russian 2S5 Giatsint-S artillery opens fire towards Ukrainian forces on March 24.

"Useful" negotiation

After 12 hours of Russia-US talks, a Russian official said the country would continue "useful" talks with the US on the Ukraine conflict and would work towards involving the UN and other countries. "We talked about everything, it was a deep dialogue, not easy, but very useful for us and the US side," TASS quoted Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Russian Federation Council's Foreign Affairs Committee, a member of the negotiating team. He added that "numerous issues" were discussed.

"Of course we are still far from having everything resolved, from having consensus on all points, but it seems that this type of discussion is very timely. We will continue to do so, adding the international community, above all the UN and some individual countries," Mr. Karasin said. According to Reuters, the UN Security Council is expected to meet on Ukraine on March 26.

The results of the Russia-US talks have been sent to Moscow and Washington for "analysis", so the content will not be made public, according to the BBC, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. After the talks, insiders said the reports shared by the US officials with the Trump administration were optimistic. According to AP, the White House wants the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine to be related to "energy and infrastructure", while Russia wants to narrow it down to "energy infrastructure". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to protect other infrastructure such as railways and ports. In addition, the parties are also considering a ceasefire in the Black Sea to protect cargo ships.

War on both sides

Regarding the war situation, the Ukrainian Air Force said on March 25 that Russia used 139 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and 1 Iskander-M ballistic missile to attack in the previous 24 hours. Ukrainian air defense forces shot down 78 of them, in addition to 34 that did not reach their targets, according to Reuters. The attack caused a fire at a hangar of a business in Poltava province and damaged 2 warehouses in Kyiv province.

The Kyiv Independent on March 25 quoted officials in Ukrainian provinces as saying that Russia had attacked in the previous 24 hours, killing one person and injuring at least 110, including a missile attack in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy on March 24. The city council said at least 94 people were injured, in addition to 26 structures damaged, including schools, a hospital, a kindergarten and 16 houses. In addition, three people were injured in other localities in Sumy province.

In Kherson province, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said the Russian attack killed one person and injured six. In addition, officials in Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia provinces also reported injuries in the Russian attack.

Russia did not immediately comment on Ukraine’s information. Both sides have previously denied allegations of targeting civilians in the conflict. The Ukrainian General Staff said on March 25 that its air force had attacked a Russian troop concentration in the village of Kondratovka in Kursk province, killing several Russian soldiers, and vowed to continue targeting Russian positions to reduce the enemy’s military potential.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/xung-dot-ukraine-vua-danh-vua-dam-185250325195419306.htm