MOSCOW -- Russia has expressed its readiness to transfer the bodies of those who perished in the crash of a military Il-76 aircraft in the Belgorod region to Ukraine, local media reported on Friday.

"Yes, we are prepared. Everything necessary from a procedural standpoint is in place," Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova was quoted by Russia's RIA Novosti news agency as saying.

She added that the bodies can be handed over following existing procedures.

On Jan. 24, the Ukrainian armed forces shot down a Russian military transport aircraft, the Il-76, over the Belgorod region. The aircraft was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners for exchange. All the prisoners, along with three accompanying Russian officers and six crew members, lost their lives.

RIYADH -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday discussed the Russia-Ukraine crisis with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The Saudi crown prince reaffirmed his country's support for all international endeavors aimed at resolving the crisis and achieving peace, and its continued contribution to alleviating the situation through humanitarian assistance, the SPA said.

Zelensky "expressed appreciation and thanks for the efforts exerted by the Kingdom in this regard," according to the report.

The visit aimed to discuss peace prospects, the exchange of prisoners of war, and the areas of economic cooperation and potential involvement of Saudi Arabia in Ukraine's post-war reconstruction efforts, Zelensky said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

"We discussed the Peace Formula's points and the progress that can be made in implementing them. Saudi Arabia's leadership can assist in finding equitable solutions," Zelensky said. Ukraine's Peace Formula calls for the full withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.

In another post on X, the Ukrainian president noted that Saudi Arabia "has already contributed to the release of our people. I am confident this meeting will also yield results."

Saudi Arabia, which maintains ties with both Moscow and Kiev, had mediated between the two sides before, helping reach a deal in September 2022 that freed over 200 captive Ukrainians.

PRAGUE -- The Visegrad Group (V4) countries are not planning to send troops to Ukraine, their prime ministers (PMs) said here on Tuesday.

Czech PM Petr Fiala, Poland's Donald Tusk, Slovakia's Robert Fico and Hungary's Viktor Orban made the statement after a V4 leaders meeting.

Despite their agreement on Ukraine's need for help, they are willing to offer assistance in different forms, Fiala said.

According to Fiala, the Czech Republic and Poland are providing military aid to Ukraine, while Hungary and Slovakia are willing to offer humanitarian and financial aid.

Fico called for an immediate ceasefire and peace talks to solve the Ukraine crisis. Orban also called for peace talks as soon as possible.

Moreover, while the V4 members agreed not to change EU founding treaties, they reached a consensus to adjust common agricultural policy to reduce bureaucracy and regulation, Fiala told reporters.

VIENNA -- German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Tuesday ruled out sending German ground troops to Ukraine after French President Emmanuel Macron suggested on Monday that European nations might do so.

"Boots on the ground is not an option for the Federal Republic of Germany," Pistorius told a press conference after meeting with Austrian Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner in Vienna on Tuesday.

Tanner also called Macron's remarks "a worrying signal."

Macron said at a gathering of European leaders on Monday that while there was no official consensus among European leaders, the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine "should not be ruled out," adding that the West will do everything to ensure Russia does not win the ongoing conflict.

PARIS -- French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a 10-year security pact in Paris on Friday.

Under the pact, France will offer "up to 3 billion euros" ($3.23 billion) in aid to Kiev in 2024 after having provided support worth 1.7 billion euros in 2022 and 2.1 billion euros in 2023, Macron told a press conference alongside Zelensky.

The French president also said he would visit Ukraine by mid-March.

The pact with France was "ambitious and concrete", said Zelensky.

Earlier in the day, Zelensky and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signed a long-term security agreement in Berlin. Ukraine had already signed such a security agreement with the United Kingdom in January. (1 euro = 1.08 US dollar)

MOSCOW -- Seven people were killed and 18 others injured in a Ukrainian rocket attack on Russia's Belgorod, Russia's Ministry of Health said Thursday.

The attack targeted a shopping center in Belgorod, resulting in casualties, including one child among the deaths and four children among the injured, said the ministry.

The shopping center, which houses a grocery store and a pharmacy, was severely damaged as a result of the rocket attack by the Ukrainian armed forces, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency said in an earlier report.

According to Russia's Ministry of Defense, the Russian air defense shot down 14 RM-70 Vampire MLRS rockets over the Belgorod region.

The Russian Foreign Ministry strongly condemns the attack against civilians and civilian infrastructure, the ministry said in a statement on its website, adding that the crime will be investigated and the perpetrators will be severely punished.

Russia intends to raise this issue for consideration in the United Nations Security Council and other international organizations, the ministry said.

MOSCOW -- Russia has repeatedly sought a peaceful solution to the problems in Ukraine since 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with US media personality Tucker Carlson published Friday.

"We repeatedly, repeatedly offered to seek a solution to the problems that arose in Ukraine after the coup in 2014 by peaceful means. But no one listened to us. And what's more, the Ukrainian leadership, which was under full control of the United States, suddenly declared that it would not fulfill the Minsk agreements, they did not like anything there, and continued military activity in this territory," Putin said.

Meanwhile, the development of this territory by NATO military structures took place under the guise of various training and retraining centers for personnel, said Putin, adding that they had actually built bases there.

He recalled that the Ukrainian authorities adopted laws that restricted the rights of Russians. "In Ukraine, they declared that Russians are -- they passed a law -- a non-titular nation, and at the same time they adopted laws that restrict the rights of non-titular nations."

"This all together caused the decision to end the war that was started by neo-Nazis in Ukraine in 2014 by armed means," the Russian president said.

KIEV -- At least five people were killed and dozens others injured in a fresh Russian massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine on Wednesday, local authorities said.

Kiev was hit the hardest in the strikes that targeted six Ukrainian regions, according to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

At least four people were killed and 40 others injured in the Ukrainian capital when debris from a missile hit an 18-storey building in the southern Holosiivskyi district, said the National Police.

Three people were injured and 58 private houses damaged in the Kiev region, said the regional military administration.

One person died and six others were wounded in the attack in the city of Mykolayiv in southern Ukraine, the regional police said in a statement.

Two people were also injured in the eastern Kharkiv region, said the State Service for Emergencies.

Russia fired 44 missiles, including cruise and ballistic missiles, and 20 Shahed combat drones at Ukraine, said the Ukrainian Air Force.

According to it, 29 missiles and 15 drones were downed by the air defense.

WASHINGTON -- The US State Department on Wednesday announced this year's final package of weapons and equipment to aid Ukraine, exhausting existing funding still at the Biden administration's disposal.

The arms and equipment in the package are worth up to $250 million and are being provided "under previously directed drawdowns for Ukraine," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

"Capabilities provided in today's package include air defense munitions, other air defense system components, additional ammunition for high mobility artillery rocket systems, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, anti-armor munitions, and over 15 million rounds of ammunition," Blinken said.

Assistance packages such as this just-announced one fall under the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows weapons to be pulled directly from the stocks of the Department of Defense so that they can be delivered to Ukraine in a swift manner.

The United States has already used up funds from another form of assistance for Ukraine, the congressionally-appropriated Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which enables the Department of Defense to purchase weapons for Kiev by signing contracts with arms manufacturers.

In his statement, Blinken reiterated the urgent need for Congress to get their work done. "It is imperative that Congress act swiftly, as soon as possible, to advance our national security interests by helping Ukraine defend itself and secure its future," he said.

Warning that the funding Congress previously approved for providing assistance to Ukraine would soon dry up, the Biden administration said last week that lacking lawmakers' renewed commitment to further appropriation meeting the White House's over $60 billion supplemental budget request for Ukraine, the administration would be able to announce but one additional package for Kiev before year's end.

"We are still planning one more aid package to Ukraine later this month," John Kirby, the National Security Council's Coordinator for Strategic Communications, told reporters on Dec. 18.

"However, when that one's done ... we will have no more replenishment authority available to us, and we're going to need Congress to act without delay, as we have been saying," Kirby said.

On Capitol Hill, Republicans are withholding their votes for new money for Ukraine, conditioning their approval on Democrats making compromise to satisfy the GOP's demand for tighter control measures on the border to keep incoming migrants at bay.

Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022, the United States has committed more than $44.2 billion in military aid to Ukraine, the Pentagon said in a fact sheet published Wednesday.

KYIV -- At least five people were injured here overnight Saturday as Russian forces carried out a large-scale drone attack against the city, authorities said.

Russia attacked Ukraine with 75 kamikaze drones Shahed-131 and Shahed-136, and most of them were launched against Kyiv, the Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Telegram.

The Ukrainian air defense destroyed 71 of the drones, it said.

The drone strike, which lasted for six hours, marked the fourth attack on Kyiv this month, the Kiev City Military Administration said in a statement.

The attack disrupted the electricity supply to 77 residential buildings and 120 institutions, it said.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said four adults and an 11-year-old child suffered minor injuries in the attack.

Private houses, apartment blocks and a kindergarten in Kyiv have been damaged by the falling drone parts, Klitschko wrote on Telegram.

KYIV -- The Ukrainian government spent more than 1.031 trillion hryvnias (28.2 billion US dollars) to cover the country's defense needs this year, the cabinet press service reported Friday, citing Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

Out of the sum, 682 billion hryvnias (18.66 billion dollars) were used to pay salaries for military personnel, and some 349 billion hryvnias (9.55 billion dollars) purchase military equipment, armor, ammunition, and other defense industry products, Shmyhal said.

The defense sector, he said, was Ukraine's budget priority in the first nine months of this year, followed by social programs and healthcare.

Next year, Ukraine will direct "all possible resources" to support defense and security forces, Shmyhal said.

Ukraine's draft budget for 2024 envisages that next year the country will allocate at least 1.69 trillion hryvnias (46 billion dollars), or 21.6 percent of its GDP, for defense.

Russia on Thursday called the US decision to send to Ukraine armor-piercing shells containing depleted uranium for US-made Abrams tanks "a criminal act".

"This is not just an escalatory step, but it is a reflection of Washington's outrageous disregard for the environmental consequences of using this kind of ammunition in a combat zone. This is, in fact, a criminal act, I cannot give any other assessment," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, according to state news agency Tass.

After the Pentagon announced Wednesday that for the first time the US will send the armor-piercing ammunition containing depleted uranium, the Russian embassy in Washington denounced the decision as "an indicator of inhumanity".

"The US is deliberately transferring weapons with indiscriminate effects," the embassy said. "It is fully aware of the consequences: explosions of such munitions result in the formation of a moving radioactive cloud. Small particles of uranium settle in the respiratory tract, lungs, esophagus, accumulate in kidneys and liver, cause cancer and lead to the inhibition of the whole organism's functions."

US officials say the munitions are common and don't present a radioactive threat. The use of depleted uranium shells isn't banned under international law. But their use has been fiercely debated, with opponents such as the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons saying there are dangerous health risks from ingesting or inhaling depleted uranium dust, including cancers and birth defects.

The United Nations Environment Program said in a report last year that the metal's chemical toxicity presents the greatest potential danger, and "it can cause skin irritation, kidney failure and increase the risks of cancer".

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday that the ammunition isn't radioactive and "not anywhere close to going into" the sphere of nuclear weaponry.

"This is a commonplace type of munition that is used particularly for its armor-piercing capabilities," he said

The Pentagon announcement said that an unspecified number of depleted-uranium tank rounds are part of a new military aid package for Ukraine worth up to $175 million. It is part of more than $1 billion in civilian and defense support that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Wednesday.

The 120 mm rounds will be used to arm the 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks that the US plans to deliver to Ukraine this fall. The armor-piercing rounds were developed by the US during the Cold War to destroy Soviet tanks, including the T-72 tanks that Ukraine now faces in its counteroffensive.

Russia also reacted angrily when the UK announced in March it was sending depleted uranium shells to Ukraine for its Challenger 2 tanks.

When Russian President Vladimir Putin described the weapons as having a "nuclear component", the UK Ministry of Defense said it had used depleted uranium in its armor-piercing shells for decades and accused Moscow of deliberately spreading misinformation.

The move to send the depleted-uranium weapons comes following the White House's decision to send Ukraine cluster munitions, which are banned by more than 100 countries because of their devastating effects, sometimes years later, on children and other civilians who mistakenly disturb and detonate unexploded rounds.

The New York Times reported Thursday that three American officials, who were not named, said that the Biden administration is planning to send more cluster munitions and soon because they were key to helping Ukrainian troops gain momentum.

In March, the Pentagon said it wouldn't be sending any depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine. But last week Reuters reported that the US had decided to send the munitions. A Department of Defense

official told the Politico website that the US decided to send the weapons because they were thought to be the best way of arming Abrams tanks in Ukraine.

The reversal comes after months of debate over the armor-piercing rounds at the White House, where some officials expressed concern that sending the rounds might open Washington to criticism that it was providing a weapon that may carry health and environmental risks, The Wall Street Journal reported in January.

US officials cite studies by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, showing "the existence of depleted uranium residues dispersed in the environment does not pose a radiological hazard to the population of the affected regions".

WASHINGTON -- The United States will begin training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets in September at US Air Force bases in two southern states, the Department of Defense announced Thursday.

The training, which will include "several pilots and dozens of maintainers," will start in September with English-language classes to be offered at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder told a press briefing.

After the trainees grasp the necessary language skills, they will then be trained on how to actually fly the F-16, and this process will begin in October at Morris Air National Guard Base in Arizona, Ryder said.

The training in the United States "will be the fundamental fighter pilot training," he said, adding that the exact curriculum for the Ukrainian pilots will depend on their levels of experience, of which an assessment is also part of the training program.

On the duration of the training, Ryder said it typically takes eight months for a new F-16 pilot with not a lot of training on the US side to complete the process, and "within the five-month range" for an experienced pilot receiving "upgrade training."

Currently, European countries are leading the effort to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s and other advanced fighters made by Western countries, with Demark and the Netherlands now prepared to undertake the task. The US government previously said it would do its part to provide training on US soil if and when Europe reached the full capacity.

Without giving a specific timeline of F-16 deliveries, Ryder said it could be months ahead, adding that European countries are looking to provide the aircraft "and the United States will support that effort through the third-party transfer process."

The Netherlands and Denmark welcomed the US approval for them to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine but the training of pilots and delivery of the planes are unlikely to be completed until next year.

The two European countries, both members of NATO, confirmed on Friday that they received the US green light after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent letters to his counterparts in the two capitals assuring them of the approval.

Blinken expressed that the approval would allow Ukraine to take "full advantage of its new capabilities as soon as the first set of pilots completes their training".

Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren welcomed the US decision "to clear the way for delivery of F-16 jets to Ukraine", which she said would allow the international coalition "to follow through on the training of Ukrainian pilots".

A coalition of 11 countries agreed at the NATO summit in July to train Ukrainians to fly F-16 jets, which will start this month in Denmark and then in Romania after a training center is built. But the Netherlands Times reported on Friday that the first Ukrainian pilots will probably complete their training in the summer of next year and Ukraine is unlikely to receive any F-16s until next year.

"We welcome Washington's decision to pave the way for sending#F16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine ….Now we will further discuss the subject with our European partners," Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday.

"The government has said several times that a donation is a natural next step after training. We are discussing it with close allies, and I expect we will soon be able to be more concrete about that," Danish Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen told Ritzau news agency on Friday.

Ukraine has been seeking F-16 jets for months to help it counter Russian air superiority in the conflict that began in February last year.

US President Joe Biden, worried about a major escalation with Russia, had ruled out sending F-16 jets to Ukraine in late January. However, he changed his stance in May, agreeing to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 planes.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko earlier warned Western nations of "enormous risks "if Ukraine is provided with F-16 jets.

"It involves enormous risks for themselves. In any case, this will be taken into account in all our plans, and we have all the necessary means to achieve the set goals," TASS news agency quoted him as saying.

Agencies contributed to this story.

chenweihua@chinadaily.com.cn

KYIV -- At least seven people were killed and 90 others injured Saturday when a missile fired by Russia hit the city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs said.

Ten police officers and 12 children were among those injured in the attack, the ministry said in a Telegram post.

According to a statement on the ministry's website, the missile hit a theater in the central square of the city.

Ukraine's UNIAN news agency reported that the theater had hosted a drone exhibition at the time of the attack.

MINSK -- Belarus will not participate in the armed hostilities in Ukraine unless Ukrainians cross the state border, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday.

"If Ukrainians do not cross our border, we will never participate in this war, in this full-scale war, but we will always help Russia," Lukashenko told the media in an interview.

The Belarusian president also denied reports that Moscow allegedly persuades Minsk to participate in its special military operation in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Lukashenko said that the conflict in Ukraine could have been avoided, and it is still possible to end it.

Any peace negotiation should be proceeded without pre-conditions, he added.

MOSCOW/KYIV -- Two Ukrainian missiles attempting to attack the Crimean Bridge have been shot down by the air defense system in the Kerch Strait, Russia's Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

Ukraine on Saturday launched two S-200 missiles to strike the Crimean Bridge, but they "were detected in a timely manner and were intercepted in the air by Russian air defense systems," Russia's Tass news agency reported, citing the country's defense ministry.

The failed attack caused no damage or casualties, said the ministry.

However, the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency said that two explosions were heard on Saturday near the bridge, citing Ukraine's Center of national resistance.

The 19-km Crimean Bridge that links Crimea to Russia consists of two parallel routes for automobiles and trains over the Kerch Strait.

The United States' flow of military and economic aid to Ukraine will rise by more than $20 billion if Congress approves a request that the White House made on Thursday.

The $20.3 billion — part of a larger $40 billion request — includes $13 billion in military aid for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia and $7.3 billion in economic and humanitarian assistance. It also includes $3.3 billion for infrastructure projects in regional countries impacted by the war.

Since the start of the conflict in February 2022, Congress has authorized $113 billion in overall funding related to Ukraine. If the new package is approved, that total will reach about $137 billion.

The wider bill also includes money to counter China's Belt and Road initiative; about $12 billion for natural disaster recovery in the US; and billions of dollars more to protect the US southern border, along with funds to stem drug trafficking.

The White House reportedly was expected to include aid to Taiwan to the bill, but that was not included.

The $40 billion in funding will be in the form of an "emergency" supplemental package, a type of spending not limited by the debt-ceiling deal reached between the White House and House Republicans in June.

Shalanda Young, director of the White House's Office of Management and Budget, in a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, urged swift action on the US "commitment to the Ukrainian peoples' defense of their homeland and to democracy around the world".

"We don't know how much longer this war is going to go on, or how much more assistance we might need to support Ukraine. We won't be bashful about going back to Congress beyond the first quarter of next year if we feel like we need to do that," a senior administration official told CNN.

The Biden administration's request came after a poll from CNN found that 55 percent of Americans are against more spending on the conflict in Ukraine. Also in the CNN poll, 51 percent said the US already has done enough to help the Eastern European nation, which is not a member of NATO.

Partisan cracks are emerging over the continuing funding to Ukraine, with support dropping among Republicans. The aid request sets up a potential battle with Republicans in Congress, some of whom have been skeptical over providing Ukraine any more money.

McCarthy has said he doesn't support a "blank check" for Ukraine. After the debt-ceiling deal passed, he said he wasn't prepared to support additional funding for Ukraine, arguing that it would be a violation of the deal.

"Working [on] a supplemental right now is only blowing up the agreement. That's all about spending more money," McCarthy said. "So, no, I do not support a supplemental."

Seventy House Republicans voted in July on an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to strip Ukraine of all America military aid. The measure failed, but revealed substantial opposition.

"This should be a non-starter for the @HouseGOP. It's time to stand up for Americans and against the uniparty," Representative Chip Roy of Texas, a member of the House Freedom Caucus that has often clashed with McCarthy, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.

There is a difference of opinion between House and Senate leadership on Ukraine funding.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell both support continuing aid to Ukraine.

McConnell, speaking Wednesday in Louisville, Kentucky, said: "People think, increasingly it appears, that we shouldn't be doing this. Well, let me start by saying we haven't lost a single American in this war.

"Most of the money that we spend related to Ukraine is actually spent in the US, replenishing weapons, more modern weapons. So it's actually employing people here and improving our own military for what may lie ahead."

Mick Wallace, a member of the European Parliament from Ireland, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in response Thursday to McConnell's comments: "A lot of Politicians and Mainstream Media are happy to continue supporting and fueling the #US #NATO Proxy War in Ukraine - these are not the people dying in this stupid War. How much do these people really care about the Working Class Ukrainians who are dying..?

Canadian journalist Aaron Mate wrote on X: "Biden admin encouraged Ukraine to integrate into NATO & assault Donbas. It refused to seriously address Russia's Dec. 2021 proposals. After the invasion, it blocked a peace deal. It then pushed Ukraine into a counteroffensive it knew had no chance. Then it told Ukraine it won't join NATO anyway. Now it wants another $20.6 billion to prolong the war it provoked."

Warren Davidson, a former Army Ranger, wrote on X: "Again, without a defined mission how can we ever say 'mission accomplished'? We can't keep sending aid without clear rationale for its intended purpose. And no, 'as long as it takes' is NOT a sufficient answer."

Agencies contributed to this story.

Saudi Arabia security talks to help solve Russia-Ukraine crisis lauded

The meeting of several national security advisers hosted by Saudi Arabia in Jeddah over the weekend to explore pathways to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict sends a signal that the world is witnessing a multipolar order characterized by more flexibility, analysts said.

"Saudi Arabia wants to play a mediator role in this conflict. This role has been in line with Saudi foreign policy," Mehmet Rakipoglu, a Turkiye-based Gulf analyst and coordinator of academic studies at Dimensions for Strategic Studies, a think tank based in London, told China Daily.

Rasha Al Joundy, a senior researcher at the Dubai Public Policy Research Center, told China Daily that the meeting's context in general indicates that almost all parties "are tired from this conflict and having harsh political bills domestically".

The two-day talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict — chaired by Saudi Minister of State and National Security Adviser Musaad bin Mohammed Al-Aiban — were attended by security advisers and representatives from over 40 countries and international organizations, including China and the United Nations.

They called for continuing international efforts to build a common ground for peace. The participants also welcomed the importance of benefiting from different views and suggestions.

Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui attended the meeting.

Before the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that China stands ready to work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role in seeking a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

"China contributes to global efforts in terms of mediation. The presence of China into this meeting proves that Riyadh-Beijing ties are based on mutual trust," said Rakipoglu.

The presence of China gave the meeting an important weight and gave the moderate states a powerful position on the table, which would help to convince Russia, as well as Ukraine, to accept a peaceful deal, said Al Joundy.

'Productive consultations'

Andriy Yermak, chief of staff of Ukraine's presidential office, said in a statement that the meeting's participants had conducted "very productive consultations on the key principles on which a just and lasting peace should be built", Xinhua News Agency reported.

The dialogue did not include a representative from Russia. "The absence of Russia is not intended in a negative way. On the contrary, I think Saudi Arabia is betting on its good relations with both parties to push for peace, and it wants to set the international political scene before suggesting any meeting between Russia and other players hostile to Russia," said Al Joundy.

"What is clear is that after the Ukraine crisis, the world (would be) witnessing a multipolar world order characterized by more flexibility and political freedom. Similarly, power in this order is more fluid and it is an opportunity for regional powers such as Saudi Arabia to play their part in the new order," Mohammad Salami, an associate researcher at the International Institute for Global Strategic Analysis in Islamabad told China Daily.

He said Saudi Arabia was pursuing two economic and political targets at the same time. On the economic aspect, the new order "helps Riyadh pursue its Vision 2030" by relying on more countries "that are characterized by being non-Western and Eastern".

Russia vows response as Saudi summit to find peace settlement to conflict starts

MOSCOW/KYIV — Moscow strongly condemns Kyiv's "terrorist attack" on a Russian civilian ship in the Kerch Strait, Russia said on Saturday, as a summit on finding a peaceful settlement to the conflict kicked off in Saudi Arabia.

A Ukrainian drone attacked a Russian oil tanker in the Kerch Strait, causing damage to the engine room of the tanker, but no casualties, the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center of Novorossiysk said on Saturday.

The attack "not only threatened the safety of the crew, but also posed the threat of a large-scale environmental catastrophe," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

The Kyiv administration "facing no condemnation from Western countries and international organizations, is busy applying new terrorist methods, this time in the waters of the Black Sea", she added.

"Such barbaric actions cannot be justified and they will not remain without response, while their authors and perpetrators will inevitably be punished," she said.

The Black Sea is becoming an increasingly important battleground in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, observers say.

Last month, the Black Sea grain deal collapsed after Russia's withdrawal. Ukrainian authorities have been exploring alternative trade routes for grain export, such as establishing a new "grain corridor "through the territorial waters of Romania, Turkiye and Bulgaria. Other options for companies seeking to bring Ukrainian grain to the global market are exports via rail, road and the ports of the Danube River.

Ukraine on Friday struck the Olenegorsky Gornyak vessel at the Novorossiysk base, a Ukrainian security source told Agence France-Presse, "to show that Ukraine can attack any Russian warship in that zone".

Russia said it had repelled the attempted attack.

In other developments, Russia's Defense Ministry said Saturday it captured a settlement in Ukraine's easternmost Lugansk region. "In the area of Kupiansk … the settlement of Novoselivske was liberated," the ministry wrote on Telegram.

Meanwhile, a meeting on the Ukraine crisis began on Saturday in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah.

A source from the Ukrainian delegation told Al Arabiya News that during the meeting, the 10-point peace plan proposed by Ukraine was backed by several countries.

The meeting, attended by security advisers and representatives from some 40 countries, aims to work out a solution that will achieve permanent peace and reduce the humanitarian repercussions of the Ukraine crisis, according to Al Ekhbariya News.

Through the meeting, the Saudi government looks forward to reinforcing dialogue and cooperation at the international level.

Solution sought

It also aims to ensure a solution to the crisis through political and diplomatic means and in a way that strengthens international peace and security.

Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui attended the meeting at the invitation of Saudi Arabia.

It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday promised a fresh round of institutional "cleaning".

"Next week will be a continuation of our work on cleaning state institutions of those who tried to drag from the past all those old habits, old schemes that weakened Ukraine for a very long time, for decades," he said in his nightly address.

Zelensky gave no details about who might be a target. He has recently expressed indignation at corruption uncovered during an audit of Ukraine's military recruitment centers, but is anxious to root out graft in general as he presses to join NATO and the European Union.

On Saturday he vowed "no more old formats" in Ukraine. "Whoever a person is, a military commissar, a deputy, or an official, everyone must work only for the interests of the state," he said.

Agencies - Xinhua