Ukraine’s European allies are doing support shows as Trump-brokered speeches show small signs of progress.
The German Foreign Minister says President Donald Trump’s efforts to ensure a ceasefire in Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine are at a dead end, but her Chinese counterparts argue that they are encouraging peace between Washington and Moscow to continue.
German Foreign Minister Analena Bearbock said he had arrived in Kiev for an unannounced visit and was “due to the deadlock” between the US and Russia in a ceasefire agreement.
But at the same time, the king of Chinese foreign ministers who visited Moscow was quoted as saying that in his fourth year, Washington’s attempt to stop the full-scale Kremlin invasion “certain results have been achieved.”
In an interview with Russian state news agency Ria Novosti, he said Beijing supports the goal of a “fair, long-term binding peace agreement that is acceptable to all parties involved.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the king will meet with President Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday, but no further details were given.
I can’t see the edges
On Sunday, Trump slammed Russian and Ukrainian counterparts Vladimir Putin and Voldimia Zelensky, expressing his dissatisfaction with the war’s fight that he pledged to halt in 24 hours.
Trump claimed progress was being made in negotiations led by his administration, but he said he would consider imposing further sanctions on Moscow for the latest attacks. He also accused Zelensky of trying to retreat from dealing with the US over Ukraine’s access to mineral resources.
Putin effectively rejected Trump’s proposal for a 30-day immediate suspension in the war. Partial ceasefires in the Black Sea, which could allow for safer transport of civilians, have been turned down by conditions imposed by Kremlin negotiators.
Russia is refraining from dealing in the Black Sea to “stop efforts to a general ceasefire and extract additional concessions from the West,” according to the War Institute, a Washington-based think tank.
Putin claims that Moscow wants a comprehensive agreement that guarantees a lasting settlement, but Kiev has firmly rejected his demand for territorial concessions and restrictions on Ukrainian diplomatic relations.
Ukraine also claims Putin intentionally made the biggest demand in consultations as a way to stall the actual agreement.
Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to move forward east of Ukraine, with analysts saying Moscow is preparing a massive spring campaign along the 1,000-kilometer frontline.
Authorities say last night was the first in more than five months, with Russia not firing a Shahed drone on a Ukrainian target. But Andry Kovalenko, head of the Ukrainian Security Council’s counterdizin intelligence division, warned that there were no signs of change in Russia’s strategy.
“At the moment, this means nothing,” he said in the telegram.
