European and U.S. officials, including Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, reportedly convinced Zelensky that attending the peace talks would reflect positively on Kyiv, diplomats told the Washington Post.
"We discussed in detail the logic of further steps and shared our approaches... It is critical that Russia reciprocate Ukraine's constructive steps. So far, it has not. Moscow must understand that rejecting peace comes at a cost," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
"I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The air raid was announced at around 2:30 p.m. local time, while the explosion sounded around 2:50 p.m. The number of victims killed rose to three, Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported at 8:42 p.m.
If confirmed, the decision would mark the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion that President Volodymyr Zelensky is absent, either physically or virtually, from a NATO summit.
The disclosure follows a warning from Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who on May 6 said Moscow was carrying out an "unprecedented" interference campaign.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
Earlier reporting from the Washington Post cited a former Russian official who claimed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, would represent Moscow in the talks.
There have been no high-level talks between Ukraine and the U.S. about providing F-16 fighter jets, and the delivery of such aircraft to Kyiv cannot be ruled out in the future, Politico reported on Jan. 31, citing U.S. officials.
Critics argue that allies' reluctance to supply F-16 fighters and long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine will prevent Kyiv from launching a major offensive and liberating Ukrainian territory. Ukraine's lack of advanced aircraft and missiles is also likely to prolong Russia's war of aggression and result in thousands of deaths.
A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity said that “there has been no serious, high-level discussion about F-16s," Politico reported.
When asked by a reporter on Jan. 30 whether the U.S. would send F-16 fighters to Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden said "no."
However, it's unclear from the video of Biden's response if the president’s “no” meant “never” or “not now", according to Politico.
Earlier in January U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer said the U.S. would be discussing fighter jets “very carefully” with Kyiv and its allies.
“We have not ruled in or out any specific systems,” he added.
Biden will talk to Zelensky about the weapons Ukraine needs at some point, AFP reported.
Discussions about sending F-16s to Ukraine are gaining steam at the Pentagon, Politico reported. A U.S. defense official told Politico that the Pentagon is not opposed.
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