On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Saudi Arabia to address the issues of releasing prisoners of war held by Russia and advancing a plan for peace.

Zelenskyy and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met, following the prince’s hosting of several Russian officials, including head of the Russian Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, the day before.

The Crown Prince, Mohammed, hopes to establish himself as a mediator in peace discussions between Ukraine and Russia, and has previously helped negotiate prisoner exchanges.

The city of Riyadh is trying to find a resolution to this dispute but is still in agreement with Russia regarding energy policies as part of the OPEC coalition.

Zelenskyy posted on the X platform stating that Ukraine is still counting on the active support of Saudi Arabia to advance his “peace formula”.

The peace formula, created by French President Emmanuel Macron, aims to remove all Russian troops from Ukraine and bring justice for war crimes.

The 10-point peace plan, proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron, aims to remove all Russian military presence in Ukraine and ensure that they are held responsible for their war crimes.

The ideas have been rejected by Moscow.

Zelenskyy continued, “The leaders of the kingdom have already helped with the release of our citizens. I believe that this meeting will also produce positive outcomes.”

During Zelenskyy’s meeting with the crown prince, Russian forces forced Ukrainian soldiers to retreat in eastern Ukraine. Experts on military strategy suggest that Russia has an advantage due to its larger number of troops and access to more advanced weapons, while Kyiv is still awaiting assistance from its Western allies.

On Tuesday, the Ukrainian military reported that, despite suffering losses, it successfully shot down 11 Russian drones and two guided missiles in a series of overnight attacks by Russia.

According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia utilized a combined 13 unmanned aerial vehicles and five guided missiles in its most recent series of attacks directed towards the regions of Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Khmelnytskyi, and Kirovohrad.

At the current moment, there have been no reports of harm or injuries.

European leaders meet

During his Monday night speech, Zelenskyy discussed the recent meeting of European leaders where they talked about various aspects related to Ukraine’s military, including its arsenal, weapons production capability, supply of weapons from allied countries, and ongoing support in their fight against the Russian invasion.

“According to Zelenskyy, our collective efforts to resist Russian aggression will provide lasting security for our countries in the years to come. Each time Russia suffers a loss or defeat, it sends a message to Russia and any other enemies of Europe and the free world that aggression is not effective.”

The French leader, Emmanuel Macron, gathered together 20 European leaders in Paris and declared, “It is imperative that Russia does not emerge victorious in this conflict.”

Macron remarked that, although there are currently no arrangements to deploy Western soldiers to engage in combat in Ukraine, the chance still exists.

Macron stated in a press conference that there is currently no agreement to deploy ground troops in an official and supported manner. However, he noted that given the evolving situation, all possibilities remain open.

On Tuesday, various leaders from Europe expressed opposition to the notion, including Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

During the initial discussions, we mutually agreed that any future deployments of troops on Ukrainian territory by European or NATO countries will not occur, according to Scholz’s statements to reporters.

Both Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that their respective governments have no intention of deploying troops to Ukraine.

According to a statement from Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, Hungary has declared that it will not be providing either troops or weapons to Ukraine.

According to a statement from Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov, it would be detrimental to the involved countries’ best interests to send troops to Ukraine from the West.

Peskov informed reporters that if that scenario were to occur, the discussion would not revolve around the likelihood, but rather the certainty of a direct confrontation.

On Monday, Macron stated that European leaders have reached a consensus to anticipate a potential attack from Russia in the near future. He also emphasized the importance of providing Ukraine with increased financial and military support.

Macron stated that everyone is in agreement regarding not wanting to engage in war with the Russian population. However, we are committed to ensuring that any escalation is kept in check. He also mentioned that the purpose of the meeting was to explore ways for those involved to provide increased military and budget support.

Following the meeting, the Netherlands declared their commitment of $108 million to support a Czech proposal of purchasing weaponry for Ukraine from various nations across the globe. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte conveyed optimism in the possibility of other countries emulating their actions.

Fiala, who also spoke after the Paris meeting, mentioned that approximately 15 countries have expressed their eagerness towards the project. The main goal of the initiative is to procure much-needed artillery ammunition for Ukraine from global markets.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said countries at the Paris meeting had asked their defense ministers to come up with plans in the next 10 days to deliver more munitions to Ukraine.

Peace plan

On Monday, the Kremlin stated that Ukraine’s suggestion for peace negotiations to exclude Russia was absurd. This came after Zelenskyy shared his optimism at a conference in Kyiv, hoping that a planned peace summit in Switzerland would address Ukraine’s efforts to end the war.

Zelenskyy expressed his desire for the peace summit to occur in the spring during a conversation with journalists on Sunday. He emphasized the importance of not letting this diplomatic opportunity slip away and reiterated the willingness to provide a platform for Russian President Vladimir Putin to acknowledge their defeat in the war and recognize it as a major mistake.

According to Kremlin representative Peskov, “We have repeatedly expressed our opinion that this format is peculiar, to say the least, since certain peace initiatives are being carried out without Russia’s involvement, which is not taken seriously and even deemed ridiculous.”

There is a suggestion from Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff for Zelenskyy, that Ukraine and its international allies could potentially extend an invitation to Russia for a future meeting to negotiate a resolution for Moscow’s invasion on terms set by Kyiv.

According to Zelenskyy’s proposed solution for peace, Ukraine’s land should be reunited and all Russian troops should be completely removed.

Recently, Ukraine has faced obstacles in their military operations. According to a spokesperson for the army, Ukrainian soldiers have retreated from a village located to the west of the city of Avdiivka, which was recently overtaken by Russian forces in the eastern region. This announcement was made on Monday.

According to Dmytro Lykhovii, a representative of a Ukrainian troop group, there was a further hinderance for Kyiv’s soldiers at the village of Lastochkyne. On Monday, during a televised national broadcast, Lykhovii stated that they had pulled back to the surrounding villages in order to maintain their defense line.

Lykhovii stated that the Ukrainian soldiers were outmatched and overpowered by the strong military presence of Moscow, leading to Ukraine’s decision to withdraw from the village and strategize for protection in a different location.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that their military had “freed” Lastochkyne.

On Tuesday, the Ukrainian military experienced another setback. They announced that they have pulled back their troops from the villages of Sieverne and Stepove, both located near Avdiivka.

The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters provided some information for this story.

Source: voanews.com