U.S. envoys have held separate meetings with Ukrainian and Russian officials on a ceasefire in the three-year war between the two countries. There is some optimism, but deaths continue to mount on the ground.
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00:00A Ukrainian delegation enters the lavish halls of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi
00:05Arabia.
00:06Waiting for them are counterparts from the U.S., who want to work out a ceasefire three
00:10years into Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
00:14Those who were there say the talks went well.
00:16Ukraine's defense minister calls them, quote, productive and focused.
00:20And Monday we'll see further talks, this time between U.S. and Russian envoys.
00:24But the future of the war in Ukraine is murky.
00:27All that's clear is that the U.S. and Europe have very different visions of what peace
00:32should look like.
00:34British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has proposed an international coalition to back up a ceasefire.
00:40But U.S. President Donald Trump appears to want a more hands-off approach.
00:45In an interview with Fox News, his envoy said he sees Russia and its President Vladimir
00:50Putin as trustworthy.
00:51I just don't see that he wants to take all of Europe.
00:55This is a much different situation than it was in World War II.
00:59In World War II, there was no NATO.
01:02So I just, you have countries that are armed there.
01:06To me, it just, I take him at his word in this sense.
01:10It's also becoming clear a ceasefire might not come quickly.
01:14Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the path is just beginning.
01:18And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced mistrust of Russia.
01:25Ukraine has voiced mistrust of Russia in terms of the ceasefire.
01:31And such attacks have already ceased.
01:35But it is Russia that continues all of this.
01:39And every night and every day there are as many cynical attacks as possible.
01:45Without any pressure on Russia, they will continue to disrespect true diplomacy in Moscow.
01:51They will continue to destroy life.
01:56Meanwhile, deadly attacks on both sides continue.
01:59A Russian drone strike on Ukraine's capital killed three civilians just as the talks were about to start.
02:05And two have died in separate Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia.
02:09On the ground in this conflict, hopes for a ceasefire are tempered with a sense that lasting peace may be elusive.
02:17I really want this to happen, because it is already very difficult to live.
02:22First of all, it is a constant stress that you are under some kind of attack.
02:28And secondly, there is also an economic side, because everything around has become much worse.
02:35And there is a certain hope that at least there will be some kind of freeze.
02:40It would make it a little easier.
02:43But I do not believe in a complete truce, I do not believe in complete security,
02:47because we have already seen what is happening, how our bad neighbors are behaving.
02:53Far from the opulent surroundings of the negotiating table,
02:56the war in Ukraine grinds on and the death count continues to rise.
03:01Patrick Chen and John Van Triest for Taiwan Plus.