Russia has refused to accept the US Ukraine ceasefire plan in its "current form", the British newspaper "Guardian" wrote this morning. Moscow described the US proposal as unacceptable to the Kremlin.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that some of Russia's key demands were not reflected in the US proposal to end the war. "We have considered very seriously the models and solutions proposed by the Americans, but we cannot accept (the proposal) in its current form," Ryabkov was quoted as saying by the publication.
Moscow's comments were in response to the reaction of US President Donald Trump, who revealed his disappointment with Putin and threatened to impose tariffs on Russian oil exports.
"All we are doing today is trying to find some framework that would first allow for a ceasefire - at least as envisaged by the Americans," Ryabkov said. "As far as we can see, today there is no place in it for our main demand, namely to resolve the problems related to the root causes of this conflict," he added.
Putin has repeatedly referred to what he believes are the "root causes" on the conflict to justify his tough stance on any future agreement to end the war in Ukraine, notes the "Guardian". As preconditions for a ceasefire, the Russian leader has insisted on measures that would effectively transform Ukraine from an independent, functioning state into one firmly drawn into Moscow's sphere of influence, the publication comments, recalling that Putin has demanded that Kiev recognise Russia's annexation of Crimea and four partially occupied regions, withdraw its forces from those areas, promise never to join NATO and agree to demilitarisation.
In recent weeks, the Russian president has also openly pushed for regime change in Ukraine, claiming that Volodymyr Zelensky, whose term has expired, lacks the legitimacy to sign a peace deal with Russia and suggesting that Ukraine needs external governance.
According to the "Guardian" Trump, for his part, appears to be growing increasingly impatient with the lack of progress in ending the war, which he promised to end within 24 hours of taking office.
Moscow has suggested that a new phone call be held between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, writes the British newspaper "Independent".
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow continues to work with Washington and that the Russian president remains open to dialogue with his American counterpart. Peskov indicated that if necessary, a conversation between the two heads of state could be organized at short notice, although one is not planned for this week.
This comes as Putin signed a decree on spring mobilization. The Russian president has ordered at least 160,000 men between the ages of 18 and 30 to be drafted into the army by mid-summer this year, amid the protracted peace talks with Ukraine and the United States, the publication notes.
Trump's drive for lightning-fast diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine has clashed with the slow approach of Kiev and Moscow, the American newspaper "Wall Street Journal" commented.
Russia is creating obstacles to the American president's attempts to negotiate a ceasefire by playing to buy time at a time when it is making progress on the battlefield and insisting on maximum gains in the negotiations. All the while, Moscow insists it wants peace.
Ukraine, after hastily agreeing to a U.S. ceasefire proposal, is now less willing to sign a sweeping economic deal proposed by the White House that would hand the United States significant control over the country’s natural resources. Despite publicly committing to a deal on rare earths, Kiev is trying to buy time to improve the terms of the agreement, the publication notes.
Both sides are stalling and appear to be counting on Trump’s patience with the other running out, the publication comments.
The French newspaper "Le Monde" this morning drew attention to Zelensky’s call for the United States to tighten sanctions on Russia.
"I think we have reached the point where we need to increase the impact of sanctions, because I think the Russians are violating what they promised the United States," the Ukrainian president said at a news conference. "We strongly hope that Trump has all the appropriate tools to increase pressure through sanctions," Zelensky added, stressing that Kiev had "passed" to Washington information about Russian attacks on the Ukrainian energy system.