US President Donald Trump has praised talks held with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the US-proposed ceasefire deal in Ukraine as “just right and productive”.
This comes after Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff met in Moscow on Thursday night, and then the Kremlin mentioned it shared the USA’s “wary optimism” over a peace procedure.
Trump mentioned in a Fact Social publish that the talks supplied “an excellent likelihood that this terrible, bloody struggle can in the end come to an finish”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, alternatively, accused Putin of looking to drag out talks to proceed the struggle, whilst Sir Keir Starmer mentioned the Russian president may just now not be allowed to “play video games” with ceasefire proposals.
Previous this week, Ukraine authorised the US-proposed ceasefire deal, which Russia is but to comply with.
On Thursday, Putin had mentioned the theory of a ceasefire was once “proper and we reinforce it… however there are nuances” and he set out quite a lot of tricky prerequisites for peace, a reaction branded “manipulative” by way of Zelensky.
Ukraine’s chief persisted his complaint on Friday in a chain of posts on X, writing: “Putin can’t go out this struggle as a result of that would depart him with not anything.
“This is why he’s now doing the whole thing he can to sabotage international relations by way of environment extraordinarily tricky and unacceptable prerequisites proper from the beginning even earlier than a ceasefire.”
He mentioned Putin would “drag” everybody into “unending discussions… losing days, weeks, and months on meaningless talks whilst his weapons proceed to kill other folks”.
“Each and every situation Putin places ahead is solely an try to block any international relations. That is how Russia works. And we warned about this.”
UK PM Sir Keir mentioned the Kremlin’s “entire forget” for Trump’s ceasefire proposal demonstrated Putin was once “now not thinking about peace”.
“If Russia in the end involves the desk, then we should be in a position to watch a ceasefire to verify this can be a severe and enduring peace,” he mentioned.
“If they do not, then we wish to pressure each and every sinew to ramp up financial drive on Russia to protected an finish to this struggle.”
On Saturday, Sir Keir will host a video name with as many as 25 leaders to broaden the peacekeeping project proposed all over a summit in London previous this month.
The “coalition of the prepared” – as he known as it – will paintings to discourage long run Russian aggression, will have to the US-proposed ceasefire come into impact.
In his social media posts on Friday, Zelensky “strongly” recommended “everybody who can affect Russia, particularly the USA, to take robust steps that may lend a hand”, as a result of Putin would now not forestall the struggle on his personal.
“Putin is mendacity about the true scenario at the battlefield… the casualties” and “the real state of his financial system”, he mentioned, explaining that Putin was once “doing the whole thing imaginable to make sure that international relations fails”.
However the White Area believes the 2 aspects have “by no means been this as regards to peace”.
Chatting with journalists, White Area Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt maintained that the talks between Putin and Witkoff in Moscow on Thursday have been “productive”.
She added Trump has been “hanging drive on Putin and the Russians to do the best factor”.
Trump’s social media publish additionally “strongly asked” Putin will have to spare the lives of Ukrainian troops, whom he described as surrounded by way of Russian forces, including it might be a “terrible bloodbath” now not observed since International Warfare Two.
His feedback got here after Putin mentioned on Thursday that Ukrainian troops in Kursk were “remoted” and have been looking to depart, as Russia ramps up efforts to reclaim the area invaded by way of Ukraine closing 12 months.
However on Friday, Ukraine’s military normal personnel denied the encirclement of its troops, calling it “false and fabricated”.
In a remark, it mentioned operations have been proceeding, with Ukrainian troops having withdrawn and “effectively regrouped” to higher defensive positions.
“There is not any risk of encirclement of our gadgets,” it mentioned.
According to Trump’s request, Putin mentioned Ukrainian infantrymen in Kursk could be handled with “dignity consistent with the norms of global legislation and the rules of the Russian Federation” in the event that they gave up palms and surrendered.
In the meantime, G7 contributors were assembly in Quebec, the place host Canadian International Minister Mélanie Joly mentioned all of the contributors agreed with the USA proposal of a ceasefire this is supported by way of Ukrainians.
“And we at the moment are learning and having a look at Russian reactions, so in the long run the ball is now in Russia’s court docket in relation to Ukraine.”
UK International Secretary David Lammy, who was once additionally on the assembly, mentioned the contributors have been united in calling for a ceasefire with “no prerequisites”.
Following the assembly, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned the USA would now not make overseas coverage selections in keeping with what leaders mentioned on social media or at a information convention, and stressed out the “most effective technique to finish this struggle is thru a means of negotiations”.
