Zelensky signals readiness to develop revised peace plan into "deeper agreements"
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday the peace plan prepared by Ukraine and the United States in Geneva could be developed into "deeper agreements."
In an address, Zelensky said he had discussed the plan with Ukraine's negotiating team. "The principles in this document can be developed into deeper agreements. And it is in our shared interest that security is real," he said.
He also voiced hope for continued active cooperation with the U.S. side and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump sends envoy to Moscow in hope of finalizing Ukraine peace plan
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has directed his special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in hope of finalizing a peace deal on the Ukraine crisis.
"In the hopes of finalizing this Peace Plan, I have directed my Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with President Putin in Moscow and, at the same time, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will be meeting with the Ukrainians," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
"The original 28-Point Peace Plan, which was drafted by the United States, has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides, and there are only a few remaining points of disagreement," Trump said, adding that his team has made "tremendous progress" over the past week.
UN chief calls for end to unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory
Statehood for the Palestinians is a right, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday, while reiterating the call for an end to the unlawful occupation of the Palestinian territory.
In remarks to a special meeting commemorating the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, delivered by Courtenay Rattray, chef de cabinet of the UN chief, Guterres reaffirmed "a simple truth: The Palestinian people have a right to dignity, to justice, and to self-determination."
He called for "irreversible progress towards a two-State solution, in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security within their secure and recognized borders, on the basis of pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States."
LatAm bloc rejects U.S. "terrorist" designation of "nonexistent" cartel
The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples' Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) on Monday "categorically" rejected the U.S. designation of Venezuela's "non-existent" Cartel de los Soles as a "terrorist organization."
On Nov. 16, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department intends to designate Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, effective on Monday.
In a statement, the regional bloc said that the U.S. move aims to justify aggression against the South American country and force a change of government.
The U.S. policy of aggression and threats against Venezuela has been strongly and almost unanimously rejected by the international community, it added.
Macron says France, UK to launch workshop on Ukraine security guarantees
French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that France and Britain will launch a workshop to coordinate security guarantees for Ukraine with the involvement of the United States.
He made the remarks after a videoconference of about 30 countries in the "Coalition of the Willing," joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Macron said the coming days would be used to define the contributions of the parties ready to provide guarantees once a ceasefire is reached.
France and other European Union members are also working on a plan to provide financial support for Ukraine, Macron said.
U.S. sanctions put Serbia's only oil refinery on brink of shutdown
Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), Serbia's only oil refinery, could be forced to halt operations within days unless the U.S. Treasury renews sanctions exemptions for its Russian-owned operator, President Aleksandar Vucic warned on Tuesday.
Vucic said that NIS, majority-owned by Russia's Gazprom Neft, has already reduced output and may be completely shut down by Thursday unless the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) approves a new operating license. Restarting production would require at least 20 days, he added.
NIS filed its latest request for an OFAC license on Nov. 18, after U.S. sanctions were fully applied to the company in October.■
