WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
Russia says it cannot accept U.S. proposals on Ukraine 'in current form'
Russia cannot accept U.S. proposals to end the war in Ukraine in their current form because they do not address problems Moscow regards as having caused the conflict, a senior Russian diplomat said, suggesting U.S.-Russia talks on the subject had stalled.
The comments by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov suggest Moscow and Washington have so far been unable to bridge differences which President Vladimir Putin raised more than two weeks ago when he said U.S. proposals needed reworking.
They come as U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be growing increasingly impatient with what he has suggested might be foot-dragging over a wider deal by Moscow.
Trump in recent days has said he is "pissed off" with Putin and has spoken of imposing sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil if he feels Moscow is blocking a deal.
Ryabkov, a specialist in U.S.-Russia relations, said Moscow was not yet able to move forward with a deal however.
"We take the models and solutions proposed by the Americans very seriously, but we can't accept it all in its current form," Ryabkov was quoted by state media as telling the Russian magazine "International Affairs" in an interview released on Tuesday.
"As far as we can see, there is no place in them today for our main demand, namely to solve the problems related to the root causes of this conflict. It is completely absent, and that must be overcome."
Putin has said he wants Ukraine to drop its ambitions to join NATO, Russia to control the entirety of four Ukrainian regions it has claimed as its own, and the size of the Ukrainian army to be limited. Kyiv says those demands are tantamount to demanding its capitulation.
'VERY COMPLEX'
Asked about Trump's latest remarks about wanting Putin to do a deal on Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier on Tuesday that Moscow was "continuing our contacts with the American side".
"The subject is very complex. The substance that we are discussing, related to the Ukrainian settlement, is very complex. This requires a lot of extra effort."
Russia also said on Tuesday it was fully complying with a U.S.-brokered moratorium on attacking Ukraine's energy facilities.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told state TV that Defence Minister Andrei Belousov had briefed Putin on alleged Ukrainian violations during a meeting of Russia's Security Council on Tuesday. Russia passed a list of the violations to U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lavrov said.
Before the weekend, Trump had taken a more conciliatory stance towards Russia that has unnerved the United States' European allies as he tries to broker an end to the conflict in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
But in recent days, and amid lobbying by Europeans such as Finland's president urging him to hold Russia to account, he has adopted a tougher tone.
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE
‘Progress’ emerging in US talks – Lavrov
Moscow and Washington are making progress in removing obstacles in diplomatic relations and plan to meet for the next round of talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.
Speaking to journalists, Lavrov noted that both presidents had approved the continuation of negotiations.
“There was a meeting in Istanbul, and a second round is being prepared,” Lavrov said, noting that the sides are “in contact by phone and video conference.”
Lavrov said he did not want to make predictions, but cited “some progress and a willingness on the part of our American partners to lift these completely unacceptable obstacles to the normal work of diplomats in both capitals.”
Russia and the US have imposed various restrictions on each other in recent years, including limiting the number of diplomatic personnel, constraining banking access, and seizing diplomatic properties.
A major flashpoint came in late 2016, when the administration of then-President Barack Obama restricted Russian diplomats’ access to residences in New York and Maryland and later seized additional Russian properties.
Relations deteriorated further under former President Joe Biden, with heightened tensions over the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, prompting further diplomatic and economic restrictions. These included the suspension of flights and closure of US airspace to Russian carriers in coordination with Washington’s Western allies.
Lavrov insisted that Moscow was not the one that initiated such measures, saying Russia responded “according to the principle of reciprocity, which no one has abolished” in diplomacy.
US President Donald Trump has moved away from many Biden-era policies, calling for a swift resolution to the Ukraine conflict and a reset in bilateral ties.
The two countries have held several rounds of high-level talks since Trump took office in January. A meeting in Riyadh on February 18 focused on restoring embassy operations and easing restrictions. The follow-up round in Istanbul on February 27, addressed diplomatic funding and Russia’s proposal to reinstate direct flights between the two countries.
Last week, expert delegations from both sides met again in Saudi Arabia, where, after 12 hours of negotiations, they agreed to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Following the talks, Trump signaled Washington could consider lifting certain sanctions to advance the deal, which is seen as a step toward resolving the Ukraine conflict.
Reuters/RT
