Allies must impose 'hard measures' on Russia to prevent stalled peace talks, Lithuanian FM says
Ukraine's allies must impose stricter measures on Russia "sooner than later" to prevent Moscow from dragging out peace talks and escalating its demands, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys told The Kyiv Independent on April 1.
"So, in purpose to cut this trend, in purpose to stop this scenario, we have to show and introduce the hard measures sooner than later," Budrys said.
His remarks come amid U.S. President Donald Trump's effort to broker a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow.
Despite Trump's mediation, Moscow rejected a full 30-day ceasefire agreed upon between Ukraine and the U.S. in Jeddah on March 11, demanding concessions that would weaken Kyiv's defenses, including halting foreign military aid.
Although Washington managed to secure a partial ceasefire, Russia went on to strike energy infrastructure in Kherson on March 27, contradicting its own claims that it would refrain from such attacks.
Budrys stressed that Western powers must apply direct pressure to force Moscow to negotiate in good faith. "We haven't seen in history that Russia, without exact pressure, would agree on anything," he said.
While Trump has floated the idea of additional sanctions and tariffs on Russian oil, he has yet to take concrete action. Budrys called for setting deadlines to prevent Russia from prolonging negotiations and insisted that the West's commitment to Ukraine must remain firm.
"Now we are pressed in time, and we are pressed in the demand, and it is needed more from Europe to do now. Because we cannot rely, as the U.S. administration is showing us, so much on American capabilities," Budrys added.
While the U.S. refuses to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, several European nations have been preparing plans to send troops to Ukraine as part of a "reassurance force" in case a ceasefire is reached.
France is advocating for a European-led deployment along the Dnipro River, according to an unnamed French official cited by the Associated Press. Other proposals include stationing forces in western Ukraine or a neighboring country.
French President Emmanuel Macron has pushed for the mission even without U.S. involvement, while U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged European allies to secure U.S. backing before moving forward.
We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
13 minutes ago
- The Hill
Air Force chief: Qatari jet will cost less than $400 million to retrofit
It will 'probably' cost hundreds of millions of dollars for the Pentagon to transform a luxury Qatari jet into Air Force One, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers on Thursday. Meink said it will likely cost less than $400 million to retrofit the Boeing 747 aircraft, the first price estimate given by the Trump administration since the U.S. military accepted the gift from Qatar last month. Under questioning from Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) Meink declined to discuss details of how the plane will need to be retrofitted to become Air Force One, citing classified information, but pushed back at reports that the transformation could cost upwards of $1 billion. 'We believe the actual retrofit of that aircraft is probably less than $400 million,' Meink told the House Armed Services Committee, noting the Air Force had already accounted for spare parts. But Courtney, pointing to the expenses to build out two Air Force One's as part of a $3.9 billion contract in 2018, contended that 'it's clear that this new third plane is going to cost well over $1 billion.' 'You can't retrofit a plane that's built for another purpose for Air Force One and expect it to be a free plane,' he said. 'You've got to install encrypted communications technology, you have to harden the defenses, you have to put countermeasures in there. . . . It's a flying situation room.' He added: 'It's clear that this is going to be a drain on the Air Force's budget.' The Pentagon announced on May 21 that it had officially accepted the 13-year-old luxury jet previously used by the Qatari royal family. The controversial gift was announced ahead of Trump's visit to the Middle East in early May, with the commander-in-chief brushing aside ethical and security concerns about receiving the jet, insisting it was 'free.' Trump has claimed the plane — one of the largest foreign gifts ever accepted by a U.S. president — can be used as a stand-in for the aging Air Force One fleet as delays continue in Boeing's refurbishment of the two 747 aircraft purchased during Trump's first term. Meink acknowledged that the Air Force One program has 'experienced significant delays,' but that officials are working closely with Boeing to accelerate the program. 'We are doing whatever we can' to move the delivery timeline up, he told Courtney. He also conceded that defense officials will need to do 'a deep sweep' of the Qatari aircraft to make sure it doesn't pose a security threat.
16 minutes ago
Trump admin live updates: Trump declines to give deadline for decision on Russia sanctions
"It's in my brain, the deadline," Trump said. President Donald Trump on Thursday hosted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House, where the two discussed trade and support for Ukraine. The president met on Wednesday with a group of Senate Republicans amid his push for lawmakers to pass his "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," a sweeping immigration and tax bill that's faced pushback from some GOP members. 13 Updates 11:57 AM EDT Trump says travel ban countries 'didn't have things under control' President Donald Trump was asked about his latest travel ban on specific countries around the world and why Egypt was not included. The suspect in the Boulder, Colorado, attack was an Egyptian national and Trump cited the attack as a reason for his move. "Egypt has been a country that we deal with. They have things under control. The countries we have, don't have things under control," Trump said of the nations affected by the ban. 11:46 AM EDT German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrives at White House German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived at the White House and greeted President Donald Trump with a handshake before their meeting. Johnson says he'll speak to Musk Thursday morning House Speaker Mike Johnson said he plans to speak directly with Elon Musk Thursday morning following the continued criticism of the 'big, beautiful bill' during a Bloomberg TV interview. 'Look, Elon is a good friend. We texted late last night. We're going to talk this morning. I just want to make sure that he understands what I think everybody on Capitol Hill understands," he said." Johnson said Musk "seems pretty dug in right now, and I can't quite understand the motivation behind it." "But I would tell you that what we're delivering in this bill is not only historic tax cuts, but historic savings as well. He seems to miss that,' Johnson added. Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump talked by phone Thursday amid a trade war between the two countries, according to Chinese state media.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Idaho State Police partners with ICE to deport inmates without authorization to be in U.S.
A close up of an Idaho State Police trooper's uniform patch. (Courtesy of the Idaho Governor's Office) Idaho State Police have entered into a partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, to transport immigrants who are convicted of a crime and are not authorized to be in the U.S. to ICE detention centers for deportation, state officials announced Thursday. Idaho will participate in the jail enforcement model under the 287(g) program, which allows ICE to delegate specific immigration officer functions to state and local law enforcement officers, according to a news release Gov. Brad Little issued Thursday. State officials said Idaho State Police will only be targeting and transporting people who have been convicted of a crime and are finishing their incarceration sentence. Instead of releasing the inmates to the community after they complete their sentence, they will be directly transported to ICE facilities in Idaho for detention, state officials said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Idaho is stepping up to help the Trump administration transport dangerous illegal alien criminals to ICE facilities instead of being released back into our communities,' Little said in a written statement. 'These are people who have committed crimes such as domestic violence, robbery, driving under the influence, and other dangerous activities that threaten Idaho families. Idaho has taken many steps to increase our coordination with the Trump administration in the enforcement of our nation's immigration laws, and I want to further strengthen our state's partnership with President Trump to help address the national emergency posed by years of reckless border policies under the Biden-Harris administration.' Idaho State Police is seeking $300,000 in funding to pay for the transports, state officials said. The money would be used to provide up to 100 transports from Idaho jails or prisons to ICE facilities for deportation, such as the Jefferson County Detention Center in Rigby, state officials said. Idaho State Police will not be able to carry out any ICE transfers until the Idaho State Board of Examiners approves the funding request, which could occur as early as next week. 'I'm really encouraged to see Idaho making its communities safer by signing on with our 287(g) program,' Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said in a written statement. 'You have to remember that we're talking about criminals — and often, they won't take an arrest sitting down — so when local jails are allowed to turn them over to ICE in a safe setting, we don't need to send dozens of federal law enforcement officers into the public to make arrests. Partnerships like this one keep offenders out of communities and protect our families, friends and neighbors.' CONTACT US The new Idaho State Police/ICE partnership essentially implements the transport aspects of House Bill 83, a Texas-style immigration bill that the Idaho Legislature passed and Little signed into law earlier this year. However, a judge temporarily blocked House Bill 83 from taking effect in March after ACLU of Idaho filed a lawsuit against the state, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported. Under the 287(g) program, ICE is allowed to partner with local law enforcement agencies and the state does not need to resolve the legal challenge over House Bill 83 before moving ahead with transporting people convicted of a crime to ICE detention centers for deportation, state officials said. Earlier this year, Little also issued an executive order that called for state agencies to continue collaborating with ICE and called on state agencies to consider formal procedures to assist with the enforcement of immigration law. Idaho State Police officials began discussing the partnership with ICE after Little issued the executive order in February, state officials said. It was not exactly clear how many people convicted of a crime in Idaho would be subject to transfer to ICE facilities for deportation under Idaho's new partnership. However, state officials used the term 'hundreds' several times and said that each of the up to 100 transports to ICE facilities would include multiple people. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
