Yesterday, Ukrainian-backed peace talks on ways to end the war with Russia began in Malta, with representatives from about 50 countries, including Russia, rejecting the third round of those talks, which was approved by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. . The talks coincided with an announcement by local authorities in Ukraine that people

Many people were injured as a result of Russian bombing of the southern city of Kherson.

More broadly, Kiev is expected to use the meeting to drum up support for its 10-point peace plan, which was held in the previous two rounds in Jeddah and Copenhagen.

“International support for the Ukrainian peace formula is growing,” wrote Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, in a post on social media platform X.

The number of countries participating in the first round of talks reached 15 countries. Yermak mentioned yesterday that more than 50 countries will participate in this discussion.

However, Ukraine is worried about the possibility of waning support from the West, as some prominent Republican politicians in the United States, Ukraine’s biggest supporter, have expressed skepticism about providing more aid.

In an interview with the US Fox News network ahead of the meeting, Yermak said Kiev continues to rely heavily on Washington’s help.

The Valletta negotiations are closed, and the Maltese government is silent on the arrangements.

However, the talks will focus on five key areas: energy, food, nuclear security, humanitarian issues and restoration of Ukraine’s borders, a Ukrainian government spokesman said.

Ukraine hopes the Malta talks will end with a joint statement, which failed to materialize following talks in Copenhagen and Jeddah.

Yermak said earlier this week that the long list of participants in the Malta talks was a “strong signal to maintain unity around Ukraine”.

But Moscow views the talks differently, with a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman condemning the talks as blatantly anti-Russian, saying the talks were “counterproductive”.

Zelensky’s proposed peace plan calls for Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine’s borders, including the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, and the four Ukrainian regions Russia controls following the 2022 war.

Russia refuses to talk about any settlement, including giving up occupied territories.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday that “it is clear that such actions as the meeting in Malta (on October 28 and 29) have no future and will lead to negative results.”

Zakharova described the meeting as “an event characterized by deep bias and hostility towards Russia, which has nothing to do with a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis.”

Participants include the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, countries that support Kiev, in addition to Turkey, which has presented itself as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia.

Representatives from Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Georgia, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Qatar and Thailand are expected to participate via video.

Several people were injured as a result of Russian shelling of the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, local officials said.

Roman Mrochko, head of the city administration, wrote in a telegram that more than 10 residential buildings in the city center were damaged. Several others, who have yet to be identified, were injured and one was hospitalized.

It is not yet clear whether the city came under artillery fire or was hit by missiles and drones. Two Russian-made combat drones were reportedly intercepted.

The neighboring area of ​​Mykolayiv was also reported to have been bombed. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted three CH-59 guided missiles that were launched from the air.

Germany, for its part, announced it had delivered a third powerful Iris-de air defense system to Ukraine, as the country prepares for another possible Russian missile attack this winter.

The defense ministry in Berlin said the system, which consists of three missiles, a radar sensor and an electrical generator and associated missiles, was delivered this week.

Commenting on the handover, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stressed Germany’s continued support for Ukraine as it struggles to repel Russian forces.

Pistorius said: “We can trust, we are doing everything possible.” “You will never forget this battle.” He also said that the IRIS-T system is necessary to protect Ukraine.