Kremlin Casts Doubt On Trump's Push For Ukraine Peace As Rifts Remain Unresolved

Security guarantees

Lavrov addressed Russian demands that it should beryllium a portion of immoderate world talks connected Ukraine’s information aft defense chiefs from nan U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Finland, Ukraine and NATO met Wednesday to hash retired protections that Kyiv’s friends could offer successful a deal.

“Security guarantees must beryllium taxable to consensus,” he said, claiming Russia had presented information guarantees “several times.”

Putin is fresh to meet pinch Zelenskyy “when nan schedule is ready,” Lavrov said. But he suggested that Putin would not motion a bid statement pinch Zelenskyy, whose legitimacy Moscow has questioned since Ukrainian elections were postponed past twelvemonth amid martial law.

“When we travel to a shape erstwhile you person to motion documents, we would request a very clear knowing by everybody that nan personification who is signing is legitimate,” he said. “And according to nan Ukrainian constitution, Mr. Zelenskyy is not astatine nan moment.”

On Friday, optimism appeared to beryllium connected nan wane successful Washington.

In a abstracted question and reply pinch Welker, Vice President JD Vance said Russia had made “significant concessions” to Trump, including recognizing Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” aft nan warfare and not trying “to instal a puppet authorities successful Kyiv.”

But Vance acknowledged location were “hills and valleys” successful nan negotiations. “We’re going to yet beryllium successful, aliases we’ll deed a ceramic wall,” he said.

Trump besides appeared to temper his expectations.

“We’ll spot what happens,” he told reporters connected Friday. “I deliberation complete nan adjacent 2 weeks, we’re going to find retired which measurement it’s going to go. And I amended beryllium very happy.”

“It’s going to beryllium a very important decision, and that’s whether aliases not it’s monolithic sanctions aliases monolithic tariffs, aliases both,” he continued. “Or do we do thing and say, ‘It’s your fight.’”