Russia-Ukraine conflict: Kremlin does not rule out meeting between Putin, Zelenskyy

Russia has failed to achieve its main goal in the war it is waging on Ukraine amidst the rising number of fatalities and casualties from the assault. The Kremlin said this week that it is not ruling out a possible meeting between Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Reuters reports the Kremlin said Wednesday that it does not rule out a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy for peace talks. However, the Kremlin noted that such a meeting must be prepared in advance.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a call that there was work on a peace document with Ukraine, but the negotiations have stopped and have not restarted.

Preskov also said that the residents of the Russian-occupied areas of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Donbas must decide their own futures, and the Kremlin will respect their decision. Ukraine has previously said that the possibility of peace talks between both sides will end should Russia decide to annex the Ukrainian territories.

Ukraine continues to ask the West for more weapons and ammunition as it pushes back against Russian forces who continue to assault the region. In another report by Reuters, the administration of US President Joe Biden plans to sell four MQ-1C Gray Eagle Drones to Ukraine.

The drones could be armed with Hellfire missiles that can be used against Russia on the battlefield, according to people familiar with the matter.

The sources noted that the sale of General Atomics-made drones may still be blocked by Congress, which has supported Ukraine so far. The source added that there is also the risk of a last-minute reversal of policy that could derail the plan, which the Pentagon has been reviewing for the past weeks.

The Gray Eagle drone can fly up to over 30 hours depending on the mission and can college large amounts of data for intelligence purposes. Gray Eagle drones can also carry up to eight Hellfire missiles.

The sale of such drones is deemed significant as it can put a reusable US system that is capable of launching deep strikes in the conflict with Russia for the first time.

A US official said the Biden administration intends to inform Congress of the potential sale in the coming days.