Russian and American delegations have begun talks in Riyadh to reach a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine, Russian state news agency Tass reported.
The meeting comes just hours after Ukraine's air force announced it had shot down 57 of the 99 drones launched by Russia overnight. Another 36 drones failed to reach their targets, a Telegram post said of the Russian attack that hit the regions of Kiev, Kharkiv, Sumy, Kirovohrad and Zaporizhia.
Ukrainian forces have also shot down four Russian Air Force helicopters in the Belgorod region, the Kiev Army Special Operations Forces announced.
The Kremlin, through Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, said that the US and Russia have a "desire" and "will" to move towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, but also that "in general, of course, there are still many different aspects related to the agreement that need to be worked on."
"Washington can monitor violations of the agreement not to target energy infrastructure, including nuclear power plants, and draw conclusions. We are closely monitoring the situation. In fact, our American counterparts also have the opportunity to follow it and draw appropriate conclusions," Peskov added.
Meanwhile, China denies that its troops could participate in a peacekeeping operation in Ukraine once a ceasefire is reached.
"These are completely false reports. China's position on the crisis in Ukraine remains consistent and clear," Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun responded to those who asked whether Beijing was considering sending troops to Ukraine and under what conditions, according to a report by Welt am Sonntag on Saturday.
According to the German newspaper, several Beijing officials had discussed in Brussels the possibility of China joining peacekeeping forces in Ukraine. (A2 Televizion)
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