Zelensky visited Ukraine’s front-line Donetsk region on Saturday
Volodymyr Zelensky visited troops defending the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk on Saturday, as diplomats from Kyiv and Moscow prepared for ceasefire talks on Monday.
In a trip designed to boost front-line morale, the Ukrainian president presented medals to teams of drone operators fighting to hold the key transport hub.
The city has been the main focus of the Russian push in the Donbas region since the autumn, but in recent weeks there have been signs of a Ukrainian push-back.
Part of that has been down to an increased use of drones, which has compensated for Ukraine’s disadvantages in terms of troop numbers and artillery.
Zelensky wrote on X: “I visited the command post of the Tactical Group Pokrovsk and met with the commanders of the Drone Line, which united the finest unmanned systems units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“I received a report on the defence of the Pokrovsk direction, the operational situation, and the progress of the missions. I honoured our warriors with state awards.”
Zelensky’s visit came ahead of talks scheduled in Saudi Arabia for Monday. Rather than meeting face-to-face, the teams from Kyiv and Moscow will convene separately, with US officials acting as relays between the two sides.
‘Shuttle diplomacy’
The so-called practice of “shuttle diplomacy” is a common first step when convening talks between warring nations.
Last week, Vladimir Putin rejected a joint US-Ukraine proposal of a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire, instead suggesting to halt aerial strikes on energy infrastructure.
Hours later, Russian forces carried out strikes on the power grid around the Donbas city of Slovyansk, prompting questions over the sincerity of Putin’s commitment to the talks.
Further doubts have been raised over Putin’s choice of envoys for the Saudi meeting, which includes a prominent spy chief as well as diplomats. Sergei Beseda, a long-time agent of Moscow’s FSB security service, is on a Western sanctions list.
Grigory Karasin, a Russian diplomat who will be Mr Beseda’s negotiating partner at the talks, told Russian TV this weekend that the pair would be pursuing a “combative and constructive” approach.
Karasin said: “We are going with the mood to fight for the solution of at least one issue.”
Ceasefire proposals
The talks will aim to fine-tune details for a cessation of strikes on energy infrastructure and on naval assets in the Black Sea.
Donald Trump has been hoping to get Putin’s agreement to a much more significant ceasefire along the 600-mile front line, but that has so far proved harder than Washington appears to have anticipated.
Russia has insisted that any such agreement must first be linked to much more long-term commitments to curb Nato’s presence on its western borders, and for Kyiv to commit never to join the alliance. Neither Ukraine nor its Western allies are willing to make such promises.
And although Ukraine is under pressure on the front lines, military sources have said there is no imminent risk of collapse, meaning that Kyiv is unlikely to accept a ceasefire on unfavourable terms.
Meanwhile, a family of three was killed in a Russian drone attack that hit buildings in the south-eastern city of Zaporizhzhia on Friday night, Ukrainian officials said. One of the victims was a 14-year-old girl.
Ivan Fedorov, Zaporizhzhia’s regional governor, wrote on Telegram: “The bodies of the daughter and father were pulled out from the rubble. The doctors fought for the mother’s life for more than 10 hours, but unfortunately, they failed to save her.”
Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister, wrote on X: “Russian terrorism continues to destroy families all over Ukraine.”
The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia fired 179 exploding drones and decoys at Zaporizhzhia, some of which were intercepted. At least 12 people were reported to be injured.
