Separate U.S. talks with Russian and Ukrainian officials over the weekend on a peace plan in Florida were "productive and constructive," U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday.
Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's special presidential representative for investment and economic cooperation, said after Monday's meeting that his discussions with Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, went smoothly. However, Dmitryev did not disclose further details about the talks.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on the same day that Russia will assess what can be accepted and what is unacceptable from the information Dmitriev will bring from the U.S.
Witkoff also held discussions with a Ukrainian delegation led by Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on the same day.
Witkoff said over the last three days in Florida that the Ukrainian delegation held a series of productive and constructive meetings with American and European partners.
Particular attention was given to discussion of timelines and the sequencing of next steps, according to the special envoy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to social media on the same day to announce that Ukraine's negotiating team is currently working in Florida. Work on the documents on ending the war, on security guarantees, and on reconstruction is ongoing, and they are going through each point in detail.
U.S. envoy says separate talks with Ukraine, Russia "productive and constructive"
The Mianyang base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda held a soft opening on Sunday to assess its capacity to serve 6,000 daily visitors, ahead of its scheduled official inauguration next Monday.
The new giant panda base, which has been built after three years of construction, is seated at an ecological park in Mianyang City covering an area of about 120 hectares.
The base boasts 54 sets of giant panda enclosures and is up to strict giant panda breeding standards.
According to the base, the soft opening thoroughly evaluated the ticketing system, visitor routes, venue capacity, service facilities, and emergency response protocols.
The base is now ready to open to the public, and all the giant pandas are in good condition, said its staff.
"The Mianyang base now houses 20 giant pandas of all ages, and they have adapted well. At first, some were nervous and had a reduced appetite after their arrival. However, they are improving and are as active as ever," said Huang Zhi, head of the management and operation group for the preparatory working group at the base.
Each outdoor facility for the giant pandas features a specially designed climbing structure. Constructed from reinforced concrete with a log-like design, it prioritizes safety, durability, and stability. Real logs are placed on top, creating a natural environment for the pandas.
"We do not just build the structures. We have created a livable ecosystem. Strength and durability of the architectures are not our only goals. We want to build a functional ecological space that actively promotes the natural behaviors of giant pandas. To achieve this, our team has planted 900 trees in the park and developed a 5,400-square-meter rocky landscape with realistic shapes and textures," said Feng Liang, project manager of the base.
Feng added that the base has also built colony houses for red pandas, snub-nosed monkeys, sika deer and takins.
China's new giant panda base holds soft opening ahead of inauguration
