KEY POINTS
- Top US and Russian diplomats discussed the “next steps” on Ukraine following Riyadh talks
- US pushing for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine
- Ukraine agreed but Russia has set additional conditions
- Putin says the ceasefire favours Ukraine
- Zelensky accused Russia of delaying to improve its battlefield position before talks
WASHINGTON/MOSCOW: The United States and Russia have discussed the “next steps” in efforts to end the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Sunday, as Kyiv’s European allies agreed to exert pressure on Moscow to commit to a 30-day ceasefire.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke on Saturday, following talks in Saudi Arabia last month, where senior officials from both countries met for the first time since the Ukraine war started in February 2022.
According to Russian and US officials, the latest call focused on the implementation of understandings reached during the Riyadh talks.
However, there was no indication that Russia had agreed to the proposed ceasefire, which the United States had brokered with Ukraine.
Diplomatic stalemate over ceasefire
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said that Rubio and Lavrov “discussed the next steps” on Ukraine and “agreed to continue working towards restoring communication between the United States and Russia.”
Moscow, however, appeared non-committal on the ceasefire proposal.
The Russian foreign ministry stated that Lavrov and Rubio had discussed “concrete aspects of the implementation of understandings” from the Riyadh summit but made no mention of a ceasefire agreement.
The ceasefire proposal, which was put forward by the US earlier this week, calls for a 30-day unconditional halt in hostilities.
Kyiv has agreed to the proposal in principle, provided Moscow ceases attacks in eastern Ukraine.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has set conditions that exceed the framework agreed upon between Washington and Kyiv.
Putin has instead raised “serious questions” over the initiative, arguing that the ceasefire would primarily benefit Ukraine.
He also claimed that Russian forces are advancing in several areas, making the timing of a ceasefire unfavourable for Moscow.
Ukraine and allies criticise Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of using delaying tactics to improve its battlefield position before considering any truce.
“Putin is lying about how a ceasefire is supposedly too complicated,” Zelensky said in a statement on Saturday.
He also claimed that Moscow’s reluctance to agree to the deal was at odds with the approach taken by US President Donald Trump, who has previously expressed openness to negotiations with Russia.
In a separate development, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also criticised Moscow for what he described as “dragging its feet” on the ceasefire proposal.
“The ‘yes, but’ from Russia is not good enough,” Starmer said during a virtual summit on Ukraine hosted by the UK. “We need to stop these barbaric attacks on Ukraine once and for all.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported fresh Russian attacks overnight, with Kyiv confirming that 90 drones were launched at nine Ukrainian regions.
Changes in US envoy’s role
The diplomatic discussions come amid reports that President Trump has narrowed the responsibilities of his special envoy to Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg.
Kellogg, who was previously described as a special envoy for both Ukraine and Russia, will now focus solely on Ukraine.
His exclusion from the Saudi Arabia talks and subsequent US-Russia negotiations has been widely noted.
US broadcaster NBC, citing a senior Russian official, reported that the Kremlin had pressured Trump to remove Kellogg from discussions, allegedly due to his pro-Ukraine stance.
The report was denied by Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who stated on Friday that Moscow had no intention of interfering in US diplomatic appointments.
Instead, Trump has dispatched US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow to discuss a potential ceasefire, though no breakthroughs have been announced.
