Pellegrini: Zelenskyy Informed B9 Leaders about Frontline Situation in Ukraine

Bucharest/Bratislava, 13 May (TASR-correspondent) - The leaders of the Bucharest Nine (B9) countries were briefed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the current situation on the frontline, developments in the military conflict, the deployment of state-of-the-art technologies on the battlefield, and casualties, President Peter Pellegrini said after the end of the B9 summit held in Bucharest on Wednesday, TASR has learnt from its special correspondent. He added that, in the short-run, the war in Ukraine seems to lack a military solution that would definitively return the situation to the point where it was before it started. He also described the conflict as very difficult. "It's more technology-oriented. The death zone now stretches for perhaps 30 to 40 kilometres, and it's virtually impossible to penetrate," he said. According to him, Ukraine is now waiting for the funds from the EU's €90 billion loan in order to be able to fully restart drone production, which has been scaled down due to a lack of finances. Pellegrini noted that during the B9 summit, Ukraine was "heavily targeted by a massive air attack" and, based on information he received from a military correspondent, drones were intercepted in Ukrainian airspace just 50 kilometres from the Slovak border. According to the Slovak head of state, all partners from NATO, B9 and the Nordic countries agreed that support for Ukraine must continue, while they also expect US President Donald Trump to again step up diplomatic negotiations. In this context, he noted that Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in the coming days. During the summit, Pellegrini said he and Zelenskyy also held bilateral talks. "I fully supported Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who only a few days ago emphasised exactly what we've been thinking in Slovakia for some time: that the European Union must also begin negotiations with the Russian Federation," stated Pellegrini, who believes that there's no need to wait for great powers to reach an agreement. He added that discussions as to who might represent the EU in potential negotiations with Russia could take place in the near future. According to Pellegrini, the Ukrainian president told him that he recently had a very good conversation with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD). "His view is basically that, after the conditions were met when oil started flowing through the Druzhba pipeline, Slovakia stood by its commitment that it wouldn't block the loan for Ukraine," said Pellegrini. According to the Slovak head of state, Zelenskyy welcomed the fact that he and Fico agreed on mutual visits and on continuing joint government sessions. "So this was quite a positive response to Slovak Prime Minister's current behaviour towards Ukraine," added Pellegrini. jrg