UPDATE: At about 6pm ET on 25 February, I shared thread on reports that Zelenskyy and Putin might meet in Minsk to negotiate ceasefire. However, US State Department signaled their opposition.
I'll cover what happened since and how ceasefire talks became unlikely (for now).
According to @AFP, Zelenskyy at one point addressed Putin: "Fighting is going on all over Ukraine. Let's sit down at the negotiating table to stop the deaths of people."
Zelenskyy opposed talks in Minsk and instead reportedly suggested Warsaw for negotiations.
Widely reported were Russian government claims that the offensive was paused. Russian military were told not to engage Ukrainian soldiers. But it is difficult to tell if any media outlet in any country ever independently verified the claims, which Ukraine disputed.
Kommersant, a Russian daily newspaper, reported that Russian officials accused Ukrainian neo-Nazi groups of deploying rocket launchers before efforts to setup ceasefire talks fell apart. (No other media verified.)
*Below is rough Google translation:
kommersant.ru/doc/5236733?fr…
Russia intensified assault on Kiev after it became clear ceasefire talks would not happen. Ukraine contends they did not "refuse" negotiations, as Russian officials told media. They rejected "unacceptable conditions or ultimatum demands," according to Guardian news update.
Meanwhile, while this was unfolding, the United States government pledged Ukraine $350 million in additional military weapons, which gave Zelenskyy and Ukrainian forces greater incentive to abandon efforts to establish ceasefire talks—for the moment.
United States government offered to extract Zelenskyy from Russia-Ukraine conflict. Seems plausible if President of Ukraine leaves, he could try to govern in exile. US would be more inclined to ramp up military support for insurgency if/when Kiev falls.
stripes.com/theaters/europ…
Israeli news media reported that Zelenskyy reached out to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to ask him to mediate possible ceasefire talks.
"Our president believes Israel is the only democratic state that has great relations with both Russia and Ukraine..."
CNN covered:
On 25 February, a cordial phone call occurred between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where China advised Russia to negotiate an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
POLITICO and then CGTN (Chinese state-run media):
politico.eu/article/china-…
news.cgtn.com/news/2022-02-2…
Turkey's government is pushing to host ceasefire talks. Recep Erdoğan spoke with Zelenskyy.
Despite reports, Turkey denies that it has blocked Russian warships. Could Turkey use Russia's access to the Black Sea as leverage to get Putin to the table for negotiations?
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Reuters that India would be willing to host ceasefire talks between Zelenskyy and Putin.
Evacuation flights had to be organized to help Indian students escape the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Back to Russian daily newspaper Kommersant, which interviewed US deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman.
This is a rough Google translation, but Sherman said the US will respect any decision Ukraine makes on "neutral status" when it comes to NATO.
We don't have any news reports that shed light on the advice US diplomats are giving to Zelenskyy as Russian military forces surround and attack Kiev. Sending more arms doesn't seem like something a country does if they're willing to support a ceasefire.
As of 11:30pm ET on 26 February, it is estimated that over 115,000 people in Ukraine have fled. Ukraine says 198 Ukrainians are dead, over 1,115 injured.
China, India, and Turkey push for ceasefire while US arms Ukraine and seems disinclined to support calls for negotiations.
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