Zelenskyy says peace talks could have reached final stage but Russia ‘dragging out negotiations’ – Europe live | World news
Zelenskyy described the talks as ‘difficult’ and accused Russia of ‘prolonging negotiations’
Zelenskyy described negotiations with the US and Russia as “difficult” and accused Russia of “trying to prolong negotiations” when they could have reached the final stage.
The Ukrainian president said in his social media post:
Yesterday, meetings were held in different formats, both bilateral and multilateral between Ukraine and the USA. There were talks especially between Ukrainian, American and Russian representatives… The Ukrainian delegation, together with the American team, he also met with European representatives from England, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
We see Europe’s participation in the process as indispensable for the successful implementation of fully applicable agreements – Ukraine has no doubt that the partners are capable of guaranteeing the constructiveness of the negotiation process and therefore an honorable outcome.
Yesterday’s meetings were really difficult. and we can say that Russia is trying to extend negotiations that may already be in their final stages. I thank the American side for its attention to detail and patience in the meetings with Russia’s current representatives.
important events
Taz Ali
According to reports, the peace talks ended abruptly after about two hours today, as opposed to yesterday’s talks lasting more than six hours.
Neither side offered any public signs of progress, instead saying the talks were “difficult” with Russian news agencies quoting sources who described the negotiations as “very tense”.
Officials remain tight-lipped about the talks, but talks appear to have stalled over the fate of Ukrainian-held territory in the east that Russia wants to keep under its control as the price of ending the war, a demand that Kiev considers a non-starter.
Russia’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky told reporters that new talks would be held soon, without specifying a date.
Russia’s chief negotiator says talks are ‘difficult’ but will continue ‘in the near future’
Russia’s state-owned news agency Ria Novosti reported that some of the comments had been reported. Moscow’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky after the conclusion of today’s meeting.
“The negotiations lasted two days: yesterday for a very long time in various formats, today for about two hours. “It was hard, but it was like work.” He was quoted as saying.
Medinsky added that the next meeting will take place in the near future.
Just before his statements, Zelenskyy posted a message on social media stating that the talks were “difficult.”
Peace talks in Geneva ended
News agencies, citing officials, report that peace talks in Geneva have ended. Reuters quoted a Ukrainian official as saying the talks lasted about two hours.
Zelenskyy described the talks as ‘difficult’ and accused Russia of ‘prolonging negotiations’
Zelenskyy described negotiations with the US and Russia as “difficult” and accused Russia of “trying to prolong negotiations” when they could have reached the final stage.
The Ukrainian president said in his social media post:
Yesterday, meetings were held in different formats, both bilateral and multilateral between Ukraine and the USA. There were talks especially between Ukrainian, American and Russian representatives… The Ukrainian delegation, together with the American team, he also met with European representatives from England, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
We see Europe’s participation in the process as indispensable for the successful implementation of fully applicable agreements – Ukraine has no doubt that the partners are capable of guaranteeing the constructiveness of the negotiation process and therefore an honorable outcome.
Yesterday’s meetings were really difficult. and we can say that Russia is trying to extend negotiations that may already be in their final stages. I thank the American side for its attention to detail and patience in the meetings with Russia’s current representatives.
paul taylor
We need a European defense union without US military support. Here’s what it looks like
A year after Donald Trump’s second term and two Munich Security Conferences, we now know that Europe will have to defend itself with less US support in the future; probably with much less US support; and probably – gulp – without any US support.
European leaders realize they must do this. reduce overdependence in the USA. But many, including Keir Starmer and to some extent Friedrich Merz, still Clinging to the wreckage of the transatlantic relationship. They do this in hope rather than confidence that the United States will come to Europe’s aid if Russia attacks NATO territory.
Who really believes that Trump, who favors one-day demonstrations of US power, would plunge US forces into an open-ended war in Europe – with potential nuclear risks – if Vladimir Putin suddenly captured a Russian-speaking border town in Estonia or the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard?
All European governments now realize that they will potentially have to take responsibility for Europe’s defense on their own.
Read this entire opinion piece here:
Umerov said the talks focused on clarifying the borders
We have approval Chairman of the National Security Council of Ukraine and Chief Negotiator Rustem UmerovHe announced that negotiations had started in Geneva.
“Consultations are taking place in focus groups within political and military blocs. We are working to clarify the parameters and mechanisms of the solutions discussed yesterday,” he said on social media, without giving further details.
“We are focusing on subject-specific studies. We will share the results with you later,” he added.
It is widely reported that the two sides are at odds over key issues, including control of territory in eastern Ukraine.
While peace talks were ongoing, the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy reported that four regions were left without electricity this morning due to Russia’s attacks on infrastructure.
Thousands of people affected by power outages in Odesa, Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk Sumy is located in the south and northeast, the ministry said in a Telegram post.
The ministry said more than 99,000 people were without electricity in Odessa, where the situation “remains difficult” and blamed the outage on Russian bombing that damaged equipment and adverse weather conditions.
Ukraine sanctions Belarusian leader for supporting Russia’s war
Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine imposed sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for providing military support to Russia and enabling the “killing of Ukrainians.”
Lukashenko, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, allowed Moscow to use Belarusian territory as a launching pad for its invasion of Ukraine. Russia has also said it has deployed nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile systems to Belarus, a hypersonic ballistic weapon that Putin claims is impervious to air defenses.
Ukraine claims that Belarus allowed Russia to deploy various military equipment in the country; This includes relay stations connected to Russian attack drones, hundreds of which are fired at Ukrainian cities every night.
“Today, Ukraine has imposed a package of sanctions against Alexander Lukashenko, and we will significantly intensify countermeasures against any assistance he provides in the killing of Ukrainians,” Zelensky said in a social media post.
Zelensky accused Lukashenko of helping Russia evade Western sanctions and said he was “actively legitimizing Russia’s war and now further increasing his own involvement in the scaling and prolongation of the war.”
“This will have specific consequences,” he added.
Peace talks begin in Geneva
Russian state media reports that peace talks in Geneva have begun. We received some early footage from news channels from the scene outside the Intercontinental hotel, where the second day of negotiations took place.
Zelenskyy says Trump is applying excessive pressure as Ukraine-Russia peace talks enter second day
Good morning and welcome to our Europe live blog. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: The US was putting extreme pressure on him to end the warAs negotiators from Ukraine and Russia They will meet on the second day of peace talks in Geneva.
U.S.-brokered talks in Switzerland began on Tuesday but expectations for any progress were low. Apparently there are no two sides We are ready to make concessions on important issues, including control of territory in Eastern Ukraine and future security guaranteesEven though the USA set a deadline of June for the agreement.
US President Donald Trump recently suggested: The onus was on Ukraine to take the necessary steps to ensure the negotiations were successfulbut Zelenskyy responded by saying that it was so. It is “not fair” for Trump to openly call on Ukraine, not Russia, to make concessions for peace.
“I hope this is not his decision, just his tactic,” Zelenskyy told the US website Axios.
He said any plan requiring Ukraine to give up territory that Russia had not captured in the eastern Donbas region would be rejected by Ukrainians if put to a referendum.
Elsewhere, The Danish king will begin a three-day visit to Greenland in a show of support for the autonomous Danish territory that Trump covets. The US president’s threats to seize the Arctic island by force if necessary have increased diplomatic tensions between Washington and NATO member Denmark, but Trump insisted Greenland was needed by the US for national security and defense reasons. While Trump rebuffed threats to seize the island, King Frederik expressed his solidarity with Greenland, which is home to 58,000 people.
Also today, Many Christians and Muslims across Europe will fast side by side as they mark Ash Wednesday and the start of Ramadan respectively. During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn to sunset for a month, while Christians observe a 40-day period of abstinence before Easter.
