The Ukrainian negotiating delegation is returning to Ukraine from the United States. This information was confirmed by presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn, LB.ua reports.
“The group is already on its way home,” he said in response to journalists’ questions about whether the second day of talks would indeed not take place.
He also noted that the second day of talks was “not exactly cancelled”: the first day of talks ran longer and was somewhat different from what had been planned.
Ukrainian-American talks with the participation of European representatives began yesterday and were due to last two days. However, the day before, Donald Trump announced an unexpected deal to supply Russian diesel to the United States.
Following the US leader’s decision, Ukraine stepped up talks with its European partners. According to Lytvyn, discussions are scheduled for today, tomorrow and Monday.
What Happened Before?
The Ukrainian delegation arrived in the United States for talks on Friday, 9 October, with negotiations also due to take place on Saturday, 10 October.
At that time, it became known that President Donald Trump had reached an agreement with Putin on supplying Russian fuel to the American and global markets. According to the White House chief, Russia would “immediately” deliver more than 300,000 tonnes of fuel, and later a further 1.5 million tonnes.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian negotiating team was being used as a “smokescreen”. According to him, while Ukrainian representatives in Florida were discussing a ceasefire in Ukraine with the Americans, Trump was negotiating with Putin.
The President noted that the fuel supply agreements would bring Russia billions of dollars in additional revenue, which it could channel into continuing the war.