Russia and the United States have mentioned the “next steps” of methods to finish the struggle in Ukraine, the Kremlin stated on Sunday, hours after Kyiv’s European allies urged Moscow to decide to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
The United States this week proposed the halt in preventing within the greater than three-year struggle after talks in Saudi Arabia, which Kyiv agreed to.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has given no clear reply, as a substitute itemizing a string of circumstances and elevating “serious questions” over the proposal.
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday accused the Kremlin of not wanting to finish the struggle and warned that Moscow wished to first “improve their situation on the battlefield” earlier than agreeing to any ceasefire.
Moscow stated Sunday that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio known as his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and that the pair had mentioned “concrete aspects of the implementation of understandings” at a US-Russia summit in Saudi Arabia final month.
The February Riyadh gathering was the primary high-level assembly between the United States and Russia since Moscow launched its invasion.
“Sergei Lavrov and Marco Rubio agreed to remain in contact,” the Russian international ministry stated, with no point out of the US-suggested ceasefire.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce stated Saturday that the pair had “discussed the next steps” on Ukraine.
She additionally stated Rubio and Lavrov “agreed to continue working towards restoring communication between the United States and Russia”.
The name got here hours after the UK hosted a digital summit on Ukraine, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer accusing Putin of “dragging his feet” on the ceasefire.
“The ‘yes, but’ from Russia is not good enough,” Starmer stated, calling for a cease to the “barbaric attacks on Ukraine once and for all”.
Kyiv the following day stated Russia launched 90 Iranian-made Shahed drones onto 9 Ukrainian areas.
– Zelensky says Putin ‘mendacity’ –
In his response to the ceasefire earlier this week, Putin stated the initiative would profit primarily Ukraine and never Russian forces, who he stated are “advancing” in lots of areas.
He raised “serious questions” over the initiative.
The proposal got here as Russia — which occupies swathes of southern and japanese Ukraine — has had momentum in some areas of the entrance.
It has ousted Ukrainian forces from elements of its Kursk area, the place Kyiv hopes to carry onto Russian territory as a possible bargaining chip in any future negotiations.
Putin stated he wished to debate Moscow’s considerations with Trump in a cellphone name.
Zelensky stated Saturday that by not agreeing to the ceasefire, Putin was additionally going towards Trump — who has made overtures in the direction of Russia — and accused Moscow of looking for methods to not finish the struggle.
He accused Putin of “lying about how a ceasefire is supposedly too complicated”.
Ukraine stated Sunday that one individual was killed by a Russian drone strike on the town of Izyum — within the Kharkiv area, which fell to Russia at the beginning of its Ukraine invasion earlier than being retaken by Kyiv’s forces.
Source: www.anews.com.tr