(AFP) — The top US and Russian diplomats discussed Saturday the “next steps” to end the war in Ukraine, hours after Kyiv’s allies agreed to exert pressure on Moscow.
Despite recent tensions between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, Kyiv has agreed in principle to a US-brokered 30-day unconditional ceasefire — if Moscow halts its attacks in eastern Ukraine.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has not, however, agreed to any truce, instead setting conditions that were beyond what was called for in the US agreement with Ukraine.
The ceasefire proposal by Trump’s team comes as Russia has momentum in many areas of the front in Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a call on Saturday, “discussed next steps”, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has stressed his desire to end the three-year-old conflict, and has made a spectacular rapprochement with Putin. more
A cease-fire, like a draw in chess, is never agreed upon unless you feel your position is untenable. Putin is not in this position.
With the usual European stooges still backing the Little oligarch, Trump’s team needs to shift the leverage and apply it these guys, including the ICC (International Criminasl Court) in Brussels for war crimes against Zelensky.
At this stage of the game Russia needs a truce with the U.K., Germany, France, etc, just as bad as he needs one with Ukraine. Some blood thirsty SOBs. War seems to be what leaders of their countries that they have destroyed desire. And now that the nonstop flow of money out of our wallets to them is drying up shits going to get serious. Trumps got to put these elitists ass holes on a short leash. I’d much rather have Putin as an ally. At least he doesn’t insult us and then demand money.
Rich, I’m not sure I understand. “With the usual European stooges still backing the Little oligarch, Trump’s team needs to shift the leverage and apply it these guys, including the ICC (International Criminasl Court) in Brussels for war crimes against Zelensky.” Are you proposing the ICC look at prosecuting NATO for supporting Ukraine in a war that could not have been won. And in the process wiped out a generation of young men? Because if you are I could get behind that. Of course they would never do that since Brussels is NATO.
“Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has not, however, agreed to any truce, instead setting conditions that were beyond what was called for in the US agreement with Ukraine.”
Really, Breitbart? Agence France Presse?
Russia’s conditions have not changed in three years, since Boris Johnson told Cocaine Goblin to blow off the generous peace deal offered by Russia, after Russia pulled its forces back from Kiev’s gates. BoJo, NATO & Co. took Russia’s pull-back as a sign of weakness. They were wrong.
Just because NATO and Ukraine are living is a fantasy world does not mean Putin must indulge them, although he may pretend to do so until Russia has achieved its plainly-stated goals, and NATO has completed its Kubler-Ross stages.
There’s a whole lot of peeps that should be charged for war crimes. And not one of them from Russia. How about all the fragmenting rocket fired anti personnel mines that NATO deemed years age were to dangerous for civilians. Seems NATO had a change of heart and Biden provided them. That qualifies as war crimes according to what I’m reading. I don’t think Putin trusts any of these weak assholes and who could blame him. They can’t even play by their own rules.
Joe6
It was a bit of hyperbole, considering the ICC only targets America and Israel so they lost their air of legitimacy years ago. But specifically, I was referring to the little pipsqueak in his methods of waging war on civilians in Russian-held areas, for his treatment of Russian prisoners, for conscripting his soldiers by threatening their families, and his misuse of American aid.
But no, any organization even remotely connected with the EU is persona non-grada in my book.