Zelenskiy Hopes Europe, US Will Be Involved in Ukraine Peace Talks

 Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Moldova's President Maia Sandu (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 25, 2025. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Moldova's President Maia Sandu (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 25, 2025. (Reuters)
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Zelenskiy Hopes Europe, US Will Be Involved in Ukraine Peace Talks

 Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Moldova's President Maia Sandu (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 25, 2025. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Moldova's President Maia Sandu (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 25, 2025. (Reuters)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hopes Europe and the United States will be involved in any talks about ending his country's war with Russia, he told reporters on Saturday.

At a joint press conference with President Maia Sandu of neighboring Moldova, Zelenskiy said Ukraine also needed to be involved in any discussions on ending the war for such negotiations to have any meaningful impact.

"As for what the set-up of the talks will be: Ukraine, I really hope Ukraine will be there, America, Europe and the Russians," Zelenskiy said, later clarifying that no framework was yet established.

"Yes, I would really want that Europe would take part, because we will be members of the European Union."

Zelenskiy said he believed new US President Donald Trump could end the war, but he could only do so if he involved Ukraine in the talks.

"Otherwise, it will not work. Because Russia does not want to end the war, while Ukraine wants to end it," he said.

Trump promised during his campaign he would end the war within 24 hours of taking office, but his aides have since said a deal could take months.

The US president has expressed willingness to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war.

On Friday, Putin said he would like to meet Trump to talk about Ukraine. He cited a 2022 decree from Zelenskiy barring talks with Putin as a barrier to negotiations.

At the press conference, Zelenskiy said he introduced this prohibition to stop Putin forming other channels of communication with interlocutors in Ukraine. Zelenskiy said Russia was actively trying to do this before he signed the order.

HELP FOR MOLDOVA

Zelenskiy said Ukraine was ready to offer coal to Moldova, which is in the midst of an energy crisis after flows of Russian gas through Ukraine stopped at the beginning of this year.

Most of Moldova is controlled by authorities in Chisinau, but a sizeable minority of the population live in Transdniestria, a region which broke away in a violent conflict in the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

That region, which has Moldova's only power station, is now facing the brunt of an energy crisis after losing gas supply, warning that its supplies will soon be exhausted.

"Russia’s latest move has been to orchestrate an energy crisis," Sandu told reporters in Kyiv, adding that electricity prices had shot up in territories controlled by her government, but that things were even worse in the breakaway area.

"Those living in the Transdniestrian region of Moldova, held hostage by an unconstitutional regime backed by Russia for the past three decades, are now left in cold and darkness."

Sandu said this was part of a calculated Russian strategy to sow chaos in Moldova and to facilitate the coming to power of a pro-Russian government, an apparent nod to parliamentary elections coming up this year.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine could supply enough coal to Moldova or to Transdniestria to solve their energy problems and to drive electricity prices down by 30%.

"The absence of a crisis in Moldova is also (in the interests of) our Ukrainian security," Zelenskiy said, adding that Ukraine could send a team of specialists to facilitate the use of Ukrainian coal at Transdniestria's power plant.

Sandu said it was up to Transdniestrian authorities in the region's capital of Tiraspol to accept the aid.



West Africa Bloc Announces Formal Exit of Three Junta-Led States 

A man waving the flag of Burkina Faso stands on top of a car during a gathering to celebrate the withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Kurukanfuga on January 28, 2025. (AFP)
A man waving the flag of Burkina Faso stands on top of a car during a gathering to celebrate the withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Kurukanfuga on January 28, 2025. (AFP)
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West Africa Bloc Announces Formal Exit of Three Junta-Led States 

A man waving the flag of Burkina Faso stands on top of a car during a gathering to celebrate the withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Kurukanfuga on January 28, 2025. (AFP)
A man waving the flag of Burkina Faso stands on top of a car during a gathering to celebrate the withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Kurukanfuga on January 28, 2025. (AFP)

The Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) on Wednesday announced the formal exit of junta-led Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the bloc following their withdrawal last year.

West Africa has been rocked by a spate of coups that has countries in the 15-member body under military rule in the past five years.

"The withdrawal of Burkina Faso, the Republic of Mali and Republic of Niger has become effective today, 29th January 2025," ECOWAS said in a statement.

The three states announced their withdrawal from the bloc last January after ECOWAS demanded a restoration of democratic rule in Niger following a military coup in 2023.

Instead, the three breakaway states formed Alliance of Sahel States, an alternate bloc and launched their own biometric passports.

ECOWAS said on Wednesday the remaining members tentatively agreed to "keep ECOWAS doors open" by recognizing national passports and identity bearing the bloc's logo from the countries, to continue trade under existing regional agreement, and to continue diplomatic cooperation with the countries.

In December, ECOWAS gave Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger a six-month grace period to rethink their exit.

"These arrangements will be in place until the full determination of the modalities of our future engagement with the three countries of by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government," ECOWAS said.