Ukrainian ambassador says no talks with Russia without a ceasefire
Ukraine's ambassador to the United States chalked up Vladimir Putin's dismissal of the latest call for a 30-day ceasefire in the war in Ukraine beginning Monday to more of the same from the Russian president, stressing the unity among the U.S. and European leaders for a 'full and unconditional cease-fire.'
'We have heard loud and clear from President [Donald] Trump that ceasefires should be full and unconditional. And we have heard from other European leaders,' Ambassador Oksana Markarova said Sunday. 'Nobody wants peace more than Ukraine. The question of the day is whether Russia wants it.'
'Do you think he's just stringing you along here?' 'This Week' co-anchor Martha Raddatz asked.
'Well, we have seen it since the day he invaded Ukraine in 2022,' Markarova said. 'President Zelenskyy today already said that, yes, Ukraine is ready to negotiate. But he put a special emphasis on ceasefire. The idea that both he and President Trump strongly supports.'
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Ukrainian ambassador says no talks with Russia without a ceasefire originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Netherlands, Sweden Push for Sanctions Against Israeli Ministers
By , Samy Adghirni, and Jorge Valero Save Sweden and the Netherlands are pressing the European Union to sanction members of the Israeli cabinet over the war in Gaza, joining several other nations in the region whose stance on Israel has hardened in recent weeks. Swedish and Dutch officials invoked measures against hard-line figures in the Israeli government at a recent meeting of top European diplomats, according to people familiar with the matter who were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive information.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
German defense chief pledges $10 billion in Ukraine aid for 2025
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Germany is on track to give €9 billion ($10.4 billion) in aid to Ukraine in 2025, maintaining the country's position as one of Kyiv's key backers. The amount was announced by Berlin's defense minister, Boris Pistorius, during his visit to Ukraine on June 12. It marks the fifth time that Pistorius has visited Kyiv since the outbreak of the war when Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. Some of the forthcoming assistance will take the form of joint ventures between the German and Ukrainian military-industrial complexes, an idea that was presented earlier this year and has been pushed by Germany's new conservative leadership. Joint defense production projects are in line to get €1.9 billion ($2.2 billion) of the overall funding. Part of the amount will be dedicated to financing long-range weapon systems that will be manufactured in Ukraine. Under the arrangement, Germany will provide funding while Ukraine will contribute its battlefield-tested technological know-how. 'The first systems should be available in the next few months,' Pistorius said during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, who in turn said that the joint venture was an expression of deep trust in Berlin. Pistorius noted that 'the picture of war has changed' from traditional tanks and jets to electromagnetic warfare and drone combat, making this technological exchange valuable for both countries. The Social Democratic defense minister, who has often been at odds with his own party, has pushed forcefully for German rearmament and a more prominent military posture on the world stage. Also in Kyiv, Pistorius addressed a longstanding elephant in the room by saying that Germany was not planning to transfer its Taurus cruise missiles, widely considered one of the most advanced available, to Kyiv. 'Since you asked me whether we are considering this, my answer is no,' Pistorius told a journalist. The government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz had previously maintained a purposely ambiguous posture on the matter. However, Germany will deliver more IRIS-T air defense systems to Ukraine. Zelenskyy stated that the assistance would be provided under a three-year plan, but said he would not provide further details. The Ukrainian president did, however, let slip that he expects Ukraine to localize the production of 'very high-quality' German air defense systems, which may suggest a plan to produce the systems inside the country. Currently, IRIS-T air defense systems are made in Germany. The supply plan builds on substantial existing contracts. In May, Ukraine and Germany signed a €2.2 billion ($2.54 billion) contract for IRIS-T systems and missiles, covering four complete surface-launched units with mobile launchers, radars, command centers, and missiles. Air defense has been identified as one of the key priorities for Ukraine in light of relentless Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities using cruise missiles and drones. Germany's total aid in support of Ukraine amounts to €48 billion ($55.5 billion) since the start of the war, as of April 30, the government said in response to a parliamentary inquiry. Of that, €15.6 billion ($18 billion) was military assistance. Germany remains the largest supporter of Ukraine aside from the United States. Under Merz's chancellorship, Berlin has stopped releasing detailed tallies of its military support to Kyiv, citing operational security.
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Russia Feigns at Peace. Congress Must Sanction Putin's War Machine
Russia's ongoing rhetoric and military aggression make it clear that its aim is not peace, but domination and destruction. President Vladimir Putin and his regime are not merely opposed to NATO's expansion—they are actively pursuing the elimination of Ukrainian sovereignty and identity. In a televised address in February 2022, Putin questioned Ukraine's legitimacy as an independent nation. In September 2022, Putin announced the annexation of four Ukrainian regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. During a ceremony at the Kremlin, he declared that the residents of these regions were now Russian citizens "forever," emphasizing that their choice to join Russia was irreversible. In his book, On Tyranny, professor Timothy Snyder accurately said, "To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights." A soldier sits under a Caesar self-propelled gun, looking at the sky through camouflage netting, not far from the eastern frontline of Ukraine, in an undisclosed location, on June 9, 2025, amid the Russian invasion... A soldier sits under a Caesar self-propelled gun, looking at the sky through camouflage netting, not far from the eastern frontline of Ukraine, in an undisclosed location, on June 9, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. More FLORENT VERGNES/AFP via Getty Images One way to shift the tide is to squeeze the wallet. This is what Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) proposed with their Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 (S.1241), introduced in April. The bill would impose severe economic penalties on Russia and countries that continue to support its energy exports. Over 80 senators have voiced support for the bill, reflecting a strong bipartisan consensus. In addition to economic sanctions, Senators Graham and Blumenthal have introduced legislation to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, a move that would further isolate Russia diplomatically and economically. This is the common sense approach to the war against Ukraine, but so far, the sanctions package against Russia has been shut down at the highest level. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently said that sanctions risk pushing Russia away from peace talks. What peace talks? Russia has yet to demonstrate in any significant way that it is actually interested in peace. Every time the various delegations have met to discuss "peace," Russia makes wild demands and simply gains more time to murder Ukrainian citizens—including many children. In June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed an unconditional ceasefire with Russia, aiming to halt hostilities until a direct meeting between the two leaders could be arranged. He expressed Ukraine's readiness to meet "any day" in locations such as Istanbul, Switzerland, or the Vatican. This proposal followed earlier efforts, including a call in May 2025. Russia did not accept the offer. Despite these initiatives, Russia consistently rejects Ukraine's proposals for an unconditional ceasefire, instead offering limited, short-term truces in specific areas. Ukrainians are a resilient and creative people. They stopped Russia's full scale invasion in 2022 and even reclaimed some of the captured territory with a surprise counter offensive in 2023. Ukraine has transformed the landscape of modern warfare in several significant ways, offering lessons not just in military tactics but also in societal resilience, digital innovation, and global alliances. The most recent example of this was Operation Spiderweb. The groundbreaking Ukrainian military operation targeted strategic air bases deep within Russian territory. This was a transformative moment in modern warfare and it will be studied for years to come. The reason that Senators Graham and Blumenthal must get their legislation through Congress is because people will continue to needlessly die unless Russia is stopped. Russia will not stop unless they run out of troops (unlikely), ammunition (also unlikely), or money (the most likely possibility). When everyone in Russia feels the collective cost and pain of this war, there may be enough pressure to topple President Putin or force him to change his approach. In the 2012 movie, The Hobbit, Gandalf, a protagonist wizard declared, "Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love." Few of us have the power to end a war, but God created all of us with the ability to display our love through action. Evil thrives when good people stay passive or silent. The world does not need more spectators: we need advocates, bridge-builders, and truth-tellers. The sanctions legislation proposed by Senators Graham and Blumenthal is not just policy; it's a declaration that the world still values truth over terror, sovereignty over tyranny. Now is the time for ordinary people to take extraordinary action. Write to your senators. Share verified information. Stand with the oppressed. Support your local refugee communities. Because when we refuse to look away—and choose to act—we become the resistance to evil, and the messengers of human dignity. Andrew Moroz, PhD, is a Ukrainian American pastor and the founder of The Renewal Initiative. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
