Russia agreed to a request from U.S. President Donald Trump to suspend strikes on Kiev in the week till February 1 to create favorable conditions for upcoming talks, Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed a reciprocal approach in his evening address, saying that Ukraine is ready to act in a completely equivalent manner. He emphasized that Ukrainian forces did not conduct any strikes on Russian energy facilities on Friday. The Ukrainian president also noted that there were no Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities across the country since the early hours of the day except for a single strike on gas infrastructure in Donetsk.
Also, on Friday, Zelensky rejected Russia's idea during a media interview to hold peace talks at the highest level in Moscow and instead invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to Kiev. He said the date and venue for the next round of peace talks on Ukraine, initially planned for Sunday in Abu Dhabi, may change, noting the developments "in the situation with the U.S. and Iran" could affect the timing of the talks.
In addition, Zelensky stressed that a U.S.-Ukraine security agreement ratified by the U.S. Congress must be signed before any peace treaty with Russia. He said that the deal is of great importance and called such an agreement crucial for Ukrainians to see real progress.
He also outlined that the agreement will allow Ukraine to maintain an army of 800,000 troops with appropriate weapons after a ceasefire.
However, Zelensky remained firm on the issue of land, saying that Ukraine will not accept any compromises regarding its territorial integrity.
Russia agrees to suspend strikes on Kiev to facilitate talks: Kremlin spokesman
Russia agrees to suspend strikes on Kiev to facilitate talks: Kremlin spokesman
Russia agrees to suspend strikes on Kiev to facilitate talks: Kremlin spokesman
International cruise ships brought more than 8,000 tourists to Shanghai over the past weekend, underscoring the growing momentum of the city's tourism market.
Last Saturday, two cruise ships, the Spectrum of the Seas and Mein Schiff 6, arrived in Shanghai with nearly 6,000 tourists, setting a new single day record for daily inbound arrivals at the city's Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal.
Two more ships, the MSC Magnifica and Adora Magic City, arrived the next day, docking alongside Mein Schiff 6. For the first time this year, the terminal received three cruise ships docked simultaneously.
Impressed by China's customs services, tourists shared their feelings after landing.
"The service is very good, very fast. Everything is very quick," said a tourist.
"We're going to Disneyland. It's a cool trip," another tourist expressed her expectations.
During the two-day period, Shanghai port handled more than 20,000 passenger entries and exits, more than half of which were made by international travelers. Over 90 percent of them are benefiting from the visa-free policies.
"[I traveled from] Chengdu to here. I'm here to Beijing and Beijing to the UK," a tourist talked about his schedule, whose destinations in China all covered in the visa-free policies.
"Very good, excellent policy, and anything that reduces the amount of time. We had a week in ten days in China already, then we're gonna come back into the city to do some shopping," another senior visitor said.
Authorities have also introduced measures to improve the visa process.
"To ensure a smooth entry, officials will get on the ships in advance to perform inspections. So, passengers can start their trips as soon as they disembark. While at the airports, we have also provided an online submission system for arrival cards. That will also save their time," said Zhu Xiaoxiang, Deputy Director of Immigration Inspection Division under Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection.
So far this year, Shanghai's customs and immigration agents have processed more than ten million visitors, with 305,000 international passenger trips through cruise terminals, marking a prosperous tourism market.
Over 8,000 cruise passengers touch down in Shanghai, providing major tourism boost
