US Vice President Confirms Moscow and Kyiv Agree to Resume Negotiations

US Vice President J.D. Vance announced on Thursday that Moscow and Kyiv have agreed to return to the negotiating table to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Speaking to reporters in Cincinnati, Ohio, Vance said, "I believe the two countries have agreed to return to negotiations. The reason we haven't reached a peace agreement yet is due to significant differences in their positions on certain negotiation issues." Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that reaching a settlement in the Ukraine conflict faces major challenges, emphasizing that any resolution must fundamentally and sustainably address the root causes that led Moscow to launch the special military operation. Ryabkov made these remarks during the economic forum in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, noting that current efforts focus on finding a way out of the Ukrainian crisis and its repercussions, but stressed that finding a path to settlement is not easy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky viewed the Russian strikes carried out overnight as evidence that Moscow's stance remains unchanged despite renewed US diplomatic efforts. Zelensky wrote on Telegram: "Almost immediately after a new round of talks, Russia launched a precise targeted attack, indicating no real change in its position regarding the ongoing situation." The Russia-Ukraine war has been ongoing for over four years, since Moscow launched what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Russia insists that any settlement must consider the root causes of the crisis, while Kyiv and its Western allies maintain that ending the war requires the withdrawal of Russian forces and respect for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Recent months have seen repeated diplomatic attempts to revive negotiations and reach a ceasefire, but persistent differences between Moscow and Kyiv over settlement terms continue to hinder tangible progress toward ending the conflict.