Ukrainian officials to meet Trump envoys in Geneva over more Russia talks

Ukrainian officials will meet with President Donald Trump's representatives in Geneva on Thursday, where they are set to discuss further talks with Russia amid ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine.

The talks between Kyiv and Moscow had been suspended since July following a failed attempt by the sides to implement last year's peace deal aimed at ending the conflict. The agreement was intended to grant more autonomy to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where Moscow-backed rebels hold portions of territory.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has invited Kyiv and Moscow to talks in Minsk, Belarus' capital, on Jan. 11 to discuss a peace plan for eastern Ukraine.

The ministry statement stressed that the peace process should be based on an agreed international legal framework - referring to UN Security Council resolutions adopted at Russia's request after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Kyiv is opposed to any talks with Moscow until Russian forces withdraw from Crimea and Donbas.

Ukraine also wants a special tribunal for war crimes committed by Russia-backed rebels during the conflict, which has killed more than 10,000 people since April 2014.

The ministry said that Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko and presidential chief of staff Andriy Bogdan will represent Ukraine in Geneva. The Russian delegation was not named.

A senior Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting hadn't been officially announced, said the talks in Geneva would focus on creating an international commission to investigate Russia's alleged involvement in the conflict.

The move comes as Secretary Pompeo travels to Europe this week for security talks with NATO allies and other Western nations focused largely on challenges posed by Iran and Turkey. U.S. officials have expressed concern over Russia's increased military presence near Ukraine, although Moscow has denied any plans for aggression against its neighbor.

Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying Wednesday that the meeting in Geneva would be positive if it helped restore dialogue between Kyiv and Moscow.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 after the ouster of Ukraine's pro-Kremlin leader. Western nations denounced the move, which has fueled tensions with Russia that have worsened amid the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

In this Dec. 15, 2019, file photo, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks to The Associated Press at his first news conference after he was elected president of Ukraine in Kiev, Ukraine. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP, File)

The fighting in eastern Ukraine has continued despite the peace deal reached in December 2015 after negotiations led by former French President Francois Hollande and ex-German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Russia-backed rebels control most of the region's major population centers. They have refused to implement the main tenet of the peace deal, which calls for granting a special status to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions - something they see as a first step toward secession and annexation by Russia.

Ukraine has long accused Moscow of providing crucial support to the rebels, including troops, arms and equipment. The accusations have been rejected by Moscow, but Western governments and international monitors like the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe say there is ample evidence that Russian soldiers are fighting in eastern Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military says three soldiers were killed in the past 24 hours as they engaged the enemy during clashes around the village of Panteleimonivka. The rebels reported no casualties from Ukrainian shelling but accused government forces of conducting reconnaissance activities near their positions.

A senior U.S. official said Wednesday that Russia is moving military equipment close to Ukraine's border and has increased its military presence in Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014. President Trump told reporters he didn't want a conflict with Russia, saying that nobody wants to use nuclear weapons.

Trump also repeated his contention that the U.S. could have acted sooner to stop Russian aggression in Ukraine.

I think it's very sad, Trump said. What happened with respect to Ukraine, you know, I had a big thing about two and a half years ago. If we had done something, if our people were more into it, we probably wouldn't be in the situation that we're in.

The State Department declined to comment when asked whether Pompeo's invitation for talks was tied to Russia's military buildup.

Russia has denied any involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine and said the U.S. is only now discussing the issue because of its interest in defending Ukrainian sovereignty - although that effort came after Crimea's annexation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov insisted Wednesday that the Ukrainian authorities must show political will to resolve the situation in Donbas.

Lavrov added that Russia was ready for talks on restoring Ukraine's ties with Crimea, which were severed by Kyiv after the peninsula's 2014 annexation.

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