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Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ukraine ceasefire may not be in place this year, warns Russia
A ceasefire with Ukraine may not come into effect 'this year', according to a top Russian negotiator, despite Donald Trump's pledges for a swift end to the fighting. Grigory Karasin, who led the Russian delegation in the ceasefire discussions with the US last week, acknowledged the limited results of the talks, and said a ceasefire may not come 'this year or at the end of this year'. 'It would be naive to expect any breakthrough results at the very first meeting,' said Mr Karasin, chairman of Russia's Federation Council Committee on International Affairs and a former British ambassador, on state television. His comments came days after Ukraine and Russia agreed to a limited ceasefire on strikes against energy infrastructure and Black Sea operations – which both sides have already accused the other of violating. It also followed Moscow's rejection of a full and unconditional 30-day truce which had been supported by the US and Ukraine on March 11. The US president has been pushing for a quick end to the war in Ukraine, but has also acknowledged that Russia could be trying to delay. 'I think that Russia wants to see an end to it, but it could be they're dragging their feet,' Mr Trump said last week in a rare sign of frustration with Vladimir Putin. Ukraine, meanwhile, has accused Russia of prolonging talks with no intention of halting its offensive. 'For too long now, America's proposal for an unconditional ceasefire has been on the table without an adequate response from Russia,' Volodymyr Zelensky, the president, said in his evening address on Saturday. 'There could already be a ceasefire if there was real pressure on Russia,' he added, thanking those countries 'who understand this' and have stepped up sanctions pressure on the Kremlin. The Kremlin has said the Black Sea agreements would not come into effect unless links between some Russian banks and the international financial system were restored. Putin has also called for a 'transitional administration' as part of the peace process, reiterating his long-standing desire to oust Mr Zelensky and install a more Moscow-friendly government in Kyiv. On the battlefield this weekend, the Russian defence ministry claimed to have captured two Ukrainian villages: Shchebraki in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and Panteleimonivka in the eastern Donetsk region. Ukraine also accused Russia of committing a 'war crime' after it attacked a military hospital in the city of Kharkiv. Six strikes hit the northeastern border city overnight on Saturday into Sunday, wounding personnel undergoing treatment at a military hospital and killing at least two people in a residential building, according to Ukrainian officials. Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor, said that a 67-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman were killed in the attack on Ukraine's second-largest city. Officials also said 35 others were wounded. The Ukrainian army said that a military hospital building and nearby residential buildings 'were damaged by a Shahed drone'. 'According to preliminary reports, there are casualties among the military personnel who were undergoing treatment at the medical centre,' it added. The army then accused Russia of having carried out a 'war crime' and 'violating the norms of international humanitarian law'. In his nightly video address on Saturday, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine expected a 'serious response' from Western countries to the nearly daily attacks. 'Our partners must understand that these Russian strikes target not only our people, but also all international efforts, diplomatic efforts aimed at ending this war,' he said. According to the Ukrainian government and military analysts, Russian forces are preparing to launch a fresh military offensive in the coming weeks to maximise pressure on Ukraine and strengthen the Kremlin's negotiating position in ceasefire talks. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Ukraine ceasefire may not be in place this year, warns Russia
A ceasefire with Ukraine may not come into effect 'this year', according to a top Russian negotiator, despite Donald Trump's pledges for a swift end to the fighting. Grigory Karasin, who led the Russian delegation in the ceasefire discussions with the US last week, acknowledged the limited results of the talks, and said a ceasefire may not come 'this year or at the end of this year'. 'It would be naive to expect any breakthrough results at the very first meeting,' said Mr Karasin, chairman of Russia's Federation Council Committee on International Affairs and a former British ambassador, on state television. His comments came days after Ukraine and Russia agreed to a limited ceasefire on strikes against energy infrastructure and Black Sea operations – which both sides have already accused the other of violating. It also followed Moscow's rejection of a full and unconditional 30-day truce which had been supported by the US and Ukraine on March 11. The US president has been pushing for a quick end to the war in Ukraine, but has also acknowledged that Russia could be trying to delay. 'I think that Russia wants to see an end to it, but it could be they're dragging their feet,' Mr Trump said last week in a rare sign of frustration with Vladimir Putin. Ukraine, meanwhile, has accused Russia of prolonging talks with no intention of halting its offensive. 'For too long now, America's proposal for an unconditional ceasefire has been on the table without an adequate response from Russia,' Volodymyr Zelensky, the president, said in his evening address on Saturday. 'There could already be a ceasefire if there was real pressure on Russia,' he added, thanking those countries 'who understand this' and have stepped up sanctions pressure on the Kremlin.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russian negotiator suggests ceasefire may not be reached in 2025
Russian negotiator Grigory Karasin cast doubt on the Trump administration's efforts to broker a quick ceasefire in Ukraine, saying on March 28 that the talks with the U.S. may not yield decisive results this year. Karasin led the Russian delegation that held the 12-hour-long technical consultations with the U.S. in Riyadh on March 24. These talks led to an agreement on a partial ceasefire covering strikes against energy infrastructure and Black Sea operations. The Russian official described the meeting with the U.S. delegation as "constructive" but acknowledged limited results, suggesting that the consultations will continue. When asked about the timeline for clear results in the negotiations, he said they might not come "this year or at the end of this year." "It would be naive to expect any breakthrough results at the very first meeting," Karasin, chairman of Russia's Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, said in an interview with the state-owned TV channel Rossiya-24. Kyiv has already accused Russia of violating the energy ceasefire, while the future of the Black Sea ceasefire is in doubt as Moscow has linked it to the lifting of Western sanctions on Russian food producers and some financial institutions. Moscow previously rejected a full 30-day truce agreed upon by the U.S. and Ukraine in Jeddah on March 11 unless it included conditions undermining Ukraine's ability to defend itself, including a full halt on foreign military aid. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly declared he would broker a swift deal to end Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, which has been ongoing for more than three years. His administration briefly halted all military assistance to Ukraine to push it to the negotiating table while exerting little pressure on Russia. Trump acknowledged on March 25 that Russia may be "dragging their feet" in peace talks, while Kyiv and other observers warn that Moscow intentionally prolongs the process to allow Russian forces to capture more territory. Read also: Russia preparing new offensive in 'coming weeks' to strengthen negotiating position, AP reports We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UN, 'individual countries' to be involved in Ukraine peace talks, Moscow says
The international community, including the U.N. and "individual countries," will be involved in the U.S.-Russian talks on ending the war against Ukraine, Russian negotiator Grigory Karasin told state-owned news agency TASS on March 25. Karasin, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, took part in talks with the U.S. in Riyadh on March 24 and described the meeting as a broad but "difficult dialogue." "Many problems were discussed. Of course, not everything was resolved, not everything was agreed upon," the Russian official added. The talks, which were said to focus on a possible renewal of the Black Sea Initiative, are part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine. The Black Sea Grain Initiative was brokered by the U.N. and Turkey in 2022 to ensure navigation safety but broke down after Moscow withdrew a year later. Karasin noted that the discussions will continue with the involvement of "the international community, first of all, the United Nations and individual countries." The official did not specify which countries would be included and in what capacity. U.S. President Donald Trump's return to the White House marked a major shift in Washington's foreign policy. The temporary pause in military and intelligence support for Ukraine and the embrace of Moscow's talking points among Trump administration officials are causing concern in Kyiv and among European partners. The U.K. and France are spearheading the so-called "coalition of the willing" to provide Kyiv with security guarantees, including a potential deployment of peacekeepers, amid the uncertainties of the continued U.S. support. French President Emmanuel Macron is reportedly considering a peacekeeping mission under the auspices of the U.N., a proposal rejected by President Volodymyr Zelensky. Read also: Editorial: What Steve Witkoff doesn't get about Ukraine (and Russia) We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US, Russia expected to publish joint statement on latest Ukraine ceasefire talks
The U.S. and Russia are expected to release a joint statement on Tuesday detailing the outcomes of the latest bilateral meeting in Saudi Arabia discussing a potential path to peace in Ukraine, Russian state media reported. Monday's closed-door talks in Riyadh lasted for 12 hours, a source told the Tass Russian state media agency. A source told the RIA Novosti state media agency that a joint statement on the negotiations will be issued on Tuesday. Grigory Karasin, the chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, who took part in the talks in Riyadh, told Tass that "the dialogue was detailed and complex but quite useful for us and for the Americans." Karasin added, "We discussed numerous issues." The talks were expected to include discussions on a potential ceasefire in the Black Sea, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday. That proposal, Peskov said, came from President Donald Trump and was agreed to by Russian President Vladimir Putin. A proposed pause in long-range attacks on energy and other critical infrastructure targets was also expected to be part of discussions. Though Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy both agreed to the proposal in principle last week, cross-border strikes have continued. U.S. and Ukrainian representatives held talks after the American meeting with the Russian team concluded, a source familiar with the discussions told ABC News. On Monday, responding to another round of Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, Zelenskyy wrote on social media that "the war was brought from Russia and it is to Russia that the war must be pushed back. They must be the ones forced into peace. They are the ones who must be pressured to ensure security." MORE: Dozens injured, including children, in strike on Ukraine as US-Russia talks resumed, officials say ABC News' Anna Sergeeva, Oleksiy Pshemyskiy, Will Gretsky, Ellie Kaufman and Guy Davies contributed to this report. US, Russia expected to publish joint statement on latest Ukraine ceasefire talks originally appeared on
