Ukraine war briefing: US envoy to visit Kyiv in coming days, Zelenskyy says, as Putin signals ‘chance’ of peace

Negotiators to visit Kyiv and Moscow as US president Donald Trump says he wants to see an end to the war. What we know on day 1,654Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that US negotiators will ⁠soon visit Moscow and ⁠Kyiv to resume efforts to end the Russian invasion. The Ukrainian president said in his nightly video address that preliminary dates had been set for the visit. “We expect to see representatives of the US president here in Kyiv,” Zelenskyy said. “There will be a meeting with them in Moscow and in Kyiv. We are ​expecting a meeting with them in the coming days. It is very ‌important. It is important that America continues ‌to be active.”Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin said on Thursday there was a chance of reaching an agreement to end the war in Ukraine. Speaking at an economic ​forum, Russia’s president said a number of countries including the US and China were ready to support a peace settlement. “Ultimately, however, the problem must be resolved by the countries involved in the conflict – Russia ⁠and Ukraine,” he said. “We are grateful to everyone attempting to contribute to a settlement. Is there a chance? In my view, yes, there is.” Putin also described Ukrainian attacks on civilian aircraft as “acts of terrorism”, which he said “complicates the prospects for bilateral ⁠peace talks”.In Washington, Donald Trump said he wanted to see an end to the war and losses sustained by both sides. “I just want ‌to see that end. I think we’ll get it,” the US president told GB News in an interview that aired on Thursday, a day after telling reporters he wanted a summit with Putin when the Kremlin leader is ready for a peace deal. They last met for US-mediated talks in February.Trump has said he would ask ⁠European nations to pay back the US for military aid and munitions previously sent to Ukraine amid the ongoing war with ⁠Russia and appeared to signal ⁠a halt ​in sales to allied nations. In a social media post, Trump on Thursday also slammed reports of heavily depleted US munition stockpiles amid the ⁠separate war in Iran, while adding that the US was ramping up production and stockpiling munitions. “We are taking them for ourselves, the U.S.A., ⁠rather than selling them to others, but the sales to Allies will soon again, begin,” Trump ​wrote.A Ukrainian strike ⁠on Thursday killed four people, ⁠including two ⁠medical ​personnel, in an attack ⁠on Russia’s border region of Belgorod, officials ⁠said. The region’s official ​headquarters said the ‌dead in Shebekino, just across the border from Ukraine, included a doctor, ‌medic and married couple. ​Three people were injured. Meanwhile, the head of Russian-controlled parts of ⁠eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Region said ​three ​civilians died in ​drone strikes ‌in ​three ​separate districts of the region.Russian drones struck and damaged a Coca-Cola ⁠plant outside the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Thursday, Zelenskyy said. Officials ⁠said ​there were no injuries in the strike near the town ⁠of Brovary, east of the capital.