Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, traveled to Kiev on Wednesday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky and military commanders.
The U.S. special envoy’s visit came a day after Russia and the U.S. agreed in talks in Saudi Arabia, which sidelined Ukraine and its European supporters, on Feb. 18 to establish teams to negotiate a path to ending the war.
Kellogg arrived in Kiev by train Wednesday morning in what he said was a mission to "sit and listen" to Kiev's concerns.
"We understand the need for security guarantees... Part of my mission is to sit and listen and say: what are your concerns?" Kellogg said.
His arrival came hours after Russian strikes in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa overnight left tens of thousands of people without power, Zelensky said.
"At least 160,000 Odesa residents are now without heat and electricity," he said in a statement on social media.
Russia and the United States agreed on Tuesday to establish teams to negotiate a path to ending the war.
An air force statement said Odesa had been hit by an overnight attack, adding that of 167 drones, 106 had been intercepted while another 56 were "lost in the area" without causing damage.
For the past three years, Russia has been targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure, as well as its towns and villages.
In Brussels, EU diplomats said member states had on Wednesday agreed a new round of sanctions against Russia. It will be formally adopted by EU foreign ministers on Monday, the third anniversary of Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov Wednesday praised the talks in Saudi Arabia.
"A very, very important step has been taken towards creating the conditions for a peaceful resolution," Peskov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also praised U.S. President Donald Trump for blaming the Ukraine conflict on moves to admit Kiev into the NATO military alliance.
"He is the first, and so far, in my opinion, the only Western leader who has publicly and loudly said that one of the root causes of the Ukrainian situation was the previous administration's pushy line of dragging Ukraine into NATO," Lavrov told lawmakers in Russia's State Duma.
Trump has repeatedly blamed the conflict on his predecessor, Joe Biden, and has said the nearly three years of fighting would "never have started" had he been president in 2022.
Speaking on Feb. 18, after the U.S.-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia, Trump appeared to blame Zelensky for having "started" the war.
Zelensky has criticised the U.S.-Russia talks for excluding Kiev.
"I'm very disappointed, I hear that they're upset about not having a seat," Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Tuesday.
"Today I heard, 'oh, well, we weren't invited.' Well, you've been there for three years... You should have never started it. You could have made a deal."
Zelensky on Wednesday said Trump was living in a Russian "disinformation space", responding to scathing comments by the U.S. president.
"Unfortunately, President Trump, who we have great respect for as leader of the American people ... lives in this disinformation space," Zelensky told reporters in Kiev, accusing Moscow of misleading Trump.
Calling for presidential elections in Ukraine, which are banned under martial law, Trump said Tuesday of Zelensky: "He's down at four percent approval rating",
Zelensky said the figure "comes from Russia".
Kiev and its European allies have become alarmed at being cut out of the process with Russia to end the conflict.
Erdoğan speaks with Rutte
Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke by phone with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Feb. 18.
A just and lasting peace on war in Ukraine is possible, Erdogan told Rutte, Turkey's Communications Directorate said.
During the call, Erdoğan said Turkiye has been doing its utmost to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, and will continue to do its part in the future.
Stressing that he held contacts with many leaders and representatives of international organizations, including the belligerent parties, Erdoğan said Turkey has been exerting efforts to end wars in its region and in the world.
The international community should contribute to Ankara's efforts to stop wars and build peace, he added.
Source: HDN
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