Ukraine: Meloni sees Erdogan. Turkish President: ‘I will talk to Putin on Monday’ – News

EU-US and Ukraine talks on US proposals for peace in Ukraine in Geneva. Among the first to arrive was Secretary of State Rubio who, according to reports by several US senators, considered the proposal to be a ‘Russian wish list’. Then the denial from the State Department: ‘The plan was created by the United States, with contributions from Russia and Ukraine’. Trump open to negotiations: ‘My offer is not final’. European leaders, who will meet tomorrow in Luanda, considered the points laid out by the US as ‘foundations that require further efforts’. ‘Italy is ready to collaborate with the EU and the United States’, said
Prime Minister Meloni who sent diplomatic advisor Saggio to Geneva. For Kiev in Switzerland, Zelensky loyalist Andriy Yermak. The Ukrainian president could go to the US to discuss the plan. Russian raids continue: 100 drones attack Kiev at night, 69 are shot down.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan announced that he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of G20 work in South Africa with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This was reported in a note from Palazzo Chigi, explaining that “both leaders underlined the importance of cooperation between Italy and Turkey within NATO”. “The meeting – the statement said – continued with an in-depth exchange on the ongoing international crisis with special reference to the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. The two leaders also shared the hope of continuing to strengthen bilateral relations within a very positive framework of sustainable economic growth also in strategic sectors.”

Volodymyr Zelensky hopes for a “positive outcome” from the Geneva talks “to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine and ensure that war does not happen again in the future”. In a post on Telegram, while negotiations were underway in the Swiss city, he underlined the positive fact that “diplomacy has been reactivated” and that conditions “for constructive dialogue” have been created. The hope, he concluded, is that “all participants will have a constructive attitude”.

A round of preparatory meetings in Geneva as three-way talks on peace in Ukraine between the US, European allies and the Kiev delegation have not yet begun. The meeting was chaired by Volodymyr Zelensky’s right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, at a hotel in the center of Switzerland, but Defense Minister Denis Shmyhal was also present. Informal discussions are currently taking place in various formats: advisors from the Commission and Council of the European Union, NATO, France, Germany, the UK and Italy are present. A Canadian diplomatic delegation was also present in Geneva. It is possible, several sources explained, that the meeting of the three parties will only be held in the afternoon.

“For the sake of a just and lasting peace and the sovereignty of Ukraine,” EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen emphasized three elements: “borders cannot be changed by force.” “As a sovereign state, there are no restrictions on Ukraine’s armed forces that would make the country vulnerable to future attacks, thereby also endangering European security.” “Third, the importance of the European Union in ensuring peace for Ukraine must be fully reflected.” This was stated in the statement about Ukraine.

“Any credible and sustainable peace plan must first end the killing and war, but without sowing the seeds of future conflict,” von der Leyen said in a statement. “Ukraine must have the freedom and sovereign right to choose its own destiny – he underlined –. Ukraine has chosen the destiny of Europe. This starts with the reconstruction of the country, integration into the Single Market and our defense industrial base and, finally, accession to the European Union. We will continue to work together with Ukraine, our member states, the Coalition of the Will and the United States to make real progress towards peace. What is important is that we walk as partners, on the same path.”

The Ukrainian delegation present in Geneva to discuss Donald Trump’s plan to end the war with Russia held a meeting with representatives of France, Germany and Britain. This was announced by Kiev’s chief negotiator, Andriy Yermak. “I held the first meeting with the national security advisors of the leaders of Britain, France and Germany (…). The next meeting will be held with the American delegation,” Yermak said via Telegram.

Russia attacked the Odessa region and the city of Odessa with drones, causing fires in energy infrastructure. This was reported by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, as reported by Ukrinform. “Russia again attacked the Odessa region. Both districts in the region and the city itself were attacked,” the report said. Enemy drones caused fires in energy infrastructure and former industrial buildings, which were later extinguished by firefighters. Based on initial information, there were no fatalities or injuries.

Ukrainian Defense Forces have reported that they have eliminated Russian forces in the central part of Pokrovsk, a town in the Donetsk region at the center of Moscow’s offensive, and that they are still holding their positions. This was reported by the 7th Army Corps Airborne Assault Force, as reported by several Ukrainian media including Ukrainska Pravda and RBC Ukraine. The statement said that the Russians were eliminated in the areas of the train station, the Pokrovsk Pedagogical Institute and Soborny Park, located in the city center. This will make it possible to hinder Russia’s attempts to gather forces in the region.

The fire broke out following a drone attack on a power plant in the Shatura state district in the Moscow region, Russia. The Russian agency Interfax reported this, citing the governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, “This morning drones attacked a power plant in the state district of Shatura. The air defense system destroyed some of the drones and some fell on the site of the power plant. A fire broke out at the site, which has now been extinguished and rescue teams are continuing their work,” Vorobyov said. Power supply in Shatura town was not interrupted, switching to backup lines was carried out immediately, he added. The power plant is located about 120 kilometers from the Russian capital.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has landed in Geneva, where US, Ukrainian and European officials are meeting to discuss US President Donald Trump’s plans to end the war in Ukraine. Rubio’s plane landed just before 09:30 Italian time, according to AFP.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may visit the United States to discuss Washington’s plans to resolve the conflict in Ukraine: the US President’s special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg stated this in an interview with Fox News, reports the Russian news agency Tass. “It’s a good plan. There are things that need to be codified and explained better, but we’re almost there,” Kellogg said. There will be an opportunity to say this is a good plan “when Zelensky comes to the United States, and it’s likely he will, there’s no guarantee that will happen,” he said.

“The framework of the agreement was created to reach a conclusion… I think we can encourage Ukraine to do that, and then Russia.” US Presidential Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg said this in an interview with Fox News, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda. In the interview, according to RBC Ukraine’s report, Kellogg also mentioned that “there are some things that need to be codified, but this is done during negotiations, and the president understands this.” “We know, Steve Witkoff (US special envoy for the Middle East, ed.) and I, Russia’s Kirill Dmitriev, that Ukraine is involved, and we have arrived at a proposal that will be very difficult for them to reject,” Kellogg added as reported by Rbc Ukraine. “As we say in the military,” the US envoy underscored, “the last 10 meters” are “always the hardest” and “we were about 2 meters away.” “We’ll be working on this throughout Thanksgiving week to make sure we get to the end result, and I’m confident we have a chance to get there,” Kellogg said.

The State Department assured that its 28-point plan to end the conflict in Ukraine is not a “wish list” concocted by the Kremlin, denying claims by a group of US senators that Secretary of State Marco Rubio called them and told them that Donald Trump was pushing a “Russian wish list.” “This is patently false,” Foggy Bottom spokesman Tommy Pigott wrote in X. “As Secretary Rubio and the entire administration have consistently said, this plan was designed by the United States, with contributions from Russia and Ukraine,” he added.

Several US senators said Marco Rubio told them that the Ukraine peace plan promoted by Trump was not an official US position, but instead outlined Russian demands. The senators said Rubio called them on Saturday and said the 28-point plan was a “Russian wish list.” “Secretary Rubio actually called us this afternoon. I think he made it clear to us that we were the recipients of a proposal presented to one of our representatives. That was not our recommendation. That was not our peace plan,” said Republican Senator Mike Rounds.