Trump envoy says officials working ‘very, very hard’ on ending Russia-Ukraine war
By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV Ukraine AP U S President Donald Trump s special envoy Keith Kellogg mentioned in Kyiv on Monday that representatives are working very very hard on efforts to end the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine as a lack of progress fuels doubts about whether a peace settlement could be on the horizon Leaders are hoping to get to a position where in the near term we have with a lack of a better term safeguard guarantees that address Ukraine s fears of another invasion by Russia in the future Kellogg revealed That s a work in progress Kellogg announced of the prospective defense guarantees after attending Ukraine s annual National Prayer Breakfast along with politicians business leaders and diplomats A week ago Trump declared he had set in motion arrangements for direct peace talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy But Russian agents have signaled that such a summit won t happen any time soon Trump declared Friday he expects to decide on next initiatives in two weeks if direct talks aren t scheduled A stream of high-ranking visitors to Kyiv in up-to-date days reflects concerns around the U S -led peace drive Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Kyiv on Sunday for meetings with Zelenskyy pledging billion Canadian dollars in aid and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was in the Ukrainian capital on Friday Germany s vice chancellor and finance minister Lars Klingbeil arrived in Kyiv on Monday to discuss how Germany can best assistance Ukraine in a practicable peace process Putin spoke on the phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday the Kremlin explained Russia and Iran have close relations and Putin has also deepened ties with China India and North Korea as Western countries have sided with Ukraine in the war Putin and Pezeshkian are expected to meet next week when China hosts the Shanghai Cooperation Organization s annual summit in Tianjin In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Arrangement on Monday Aug a Russian Army BM- Grad self-propelled multiple rocket launcher fires towards Ukrainian position in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Russian Defense Ministry Press Function via AP German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil right and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talk during their meeting in Kyiv Ukraine Monday Aug AP Photo Efrem Lukatsky Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy listens to German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil during their meeting in Kyiv Ukraine Monday Aug AP Photo Efrem Lukatsky Norway s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store left and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talk during their meeting in Kyiv Ukraine Monday Aug AP Photo Efrem Lukatsky Show Caption of In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Institution on Monday Aug a Russian Army BM- Grad self-propelled multiple rocket launcher fires towards Ukrainian position in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Russian Defense Ministry Press Operation via AP Expand Germany Norway vow more help for Ukraine Klingbeil the German vice chancellor communicated Zelenskyy that Ukraine s allies have to talk about what happens if President Putin does not relent if he wants to continue the war Germany will continue to stand by Ukraine he disclosed echoing sentiments by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store earlier in the day Norway s multibillion-dollar military and civilian advocacy for Ukraine s fight to defeat Russia s invasion will stretch into next year Store mentioned in Kyiv He stated he will propose to the Norwegian Parliament spending billion on Ukraine next year Related Articles France summons US Ambassador Kushner over unacceptable letter about rising antisemitism Israel strikes a Gaza hospital twice killing at least including journalists and rescuers The present day in History August accused communist denies espionage charges Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran-backed Houthis rock Yemen s capital This day in History August Hurricane Andrew strikes Florida Store whose country borders Russia described a news conference with Zelenskyy that Ukraine is defending a critical principle on the European level by refusing to accept Russia s seizure of territory Analysts say Putin thinks he can outlast Western governments commitment to Ukraine and use his bigger army to capture more Ukrainian land while peace efforts are under discussion Norway on Sunday pledged about billion kroner million toward air defense systems for Ukraine Norway and Germany are jointly funding two U S -made Patriot anti-missile systems including missiles with Norway also helping procure air defense radar Store stated Drone strikes continue Ukraine s Air Force commented Russia launched strike and decoy drones overnight targeting the country s north and east There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties Ukraine has continued long-range drone attacks on Russia hitting oil refineries armories and conveyance hubs and causing commercial flight disruption during the summer vacation period On Sunday an Egyptian plane carrying Russian tourists from Sharm El Sheikh to St Petersburg diverted to Tallinn because the Russian city s international airport had temporarily closed due to a drone attack the Estonian daily Postimees disclosed Meanwhile the Russian Defense Ministry informed intercepting Ukrainian drones overnight and Monday morning over seven Russian regions both on or near the demarcation with Ukraine and deeper inside Russia Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed Follow AP s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https apnews com hub russia-ukraine
