American officials, quoted by ABC News, said they were disappointed but not surprised by the list of conditions set by Russia at the second round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul. According to them, the memorandum proposed by Moscow contains unacceptable demands for both Ukraine and the administration of President Donald Trump, which sees this as an attempt to thwart the possibility of real dialogue.
Moscow is insisting on a 30-day ceasefire, but is setting conditions that, according to the American side, make the negotiation meaningless. White House sources claim that these are ultimatums that leave no room for compromise.
Even before the start of the second round in Turkey, President Trump has expressed growing frustration with the lack of progress, ABC News notes. While he has criticized both sides in the conflict in the past, he has been increasingly distant in recent days and has not taken concrete action on previous threats of new sanctions against Moscow.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said laconically that President Trump continues to insist on a negotiated end to the war. "The president has made it clear to both leaders - both publicly and privately - that this conflict must be ended at the negotiating table," she said on Monday.
It is currently unclear whether the White House will support further diplomatic efforts in their current format, nor whether it will react more sharply to Russian actions. Analysts say the US position remains key to the prospects for the negotiation process, but at this stage there is a lack of political momentum to bring the positions closer together.