WASHINGTON: Russia and the United States have discussed the "next steps" of how to end the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Sunday, hours after Kyiv's European allies urged Moscow to commit to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. The United States this week proposed the halt in fighting in the more than three-year war after talks in Saudi Arabia, which Kyiv agreed to. Russian President Vladimir Putin has given no clear answer, instead listing a string of conditions and raising "serious questions" over the proposal.
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday accused the Kremlin of not wanting to end the war and warned that Moscow wanted to first "improve their situation on the battlefield" before agreeing to any ceasefire. Moscow said on Sunday that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and that the pair had discussed "concrete aspects of the implementation of understandings" at a US-Russia summit in Saudi Arabia last month.
The February Riyadh gathering was the first high-level meeting between the United States and Russia since Moscow launched its attack. "Sergei Lavrov and Marco Rubio agreed to remain in contact," the Russian foreign ministry said, with no mention of the US-suggested ceasefire. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said on Saturday that the pair had "discussed the next steps" on Ukraine. She also said Rubio and Lavrov "agreed to continue working towards restoring communication between the United States and Russia".
The call came hours after the UK hosted a virtual summit on Ukraine, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer accusing Putin of "dragging his feet" on the ceasefire. "The 'yes, but' from Russia is not good enough," Starmer said, calling for a stop to the "barbaric attacks on Ukraine once and for all". Kyiv the next day said Russia launched 90 drones onto nine Ukrainian regions.
In his reaction to the ceasefire earlier this week, Putin said the initiative would benefit primarily Ukraine and not Russian forces, who he said are "advancing" in many areas. He raised "serious questions" over the initiative. The proposal came as Russia -- which occupies swathes of southern and eastern Ukraine -- has had momentum in some areas of the front. It has ousted Ukrainian forces from parts of its Kursk region, where Kyiv hopes to hold onto Russian territory as a potential bargaining chip in any future negotiations. Putin said he wanted to discuss Moscow's concerns with Trump in a phone call.
Zelensky said on Saturday that by not agreeing to the ceasefire, Putin was also going against Trump -- who has made overtures towards Russia -- and accused Moscow of trying to find ways not to end the war. He accused Putin of "lying about how a ceasefire is supposedly too complicated". Ukraine said on Sunday that one person was killed by a Russian drone strike on the city of Izyum -- in the Kharkiv region, which fell to Russia at the start of its Ukraine attack before being retaken by Kyiv's forces.
Meanwhile, Russia on Sunday said it has moved to safety 371 of its civilians from areas it retook from Ukrainian forces in its border Kursk region. Little was known on civilian life in the areas held by Ukraine since last summer and there has been some anger in Russia about the fate of those left behind under Ukrainian control and the lack of information from local officials. The civilians became trapped when Ukraine launched its surprise incursion in August 2024, more than two years into Russia's offensive.
"In total since March 12th from liberated inhabited areas 371 people have been moved, including 14 children," the acting Kursk region governor Alexander Khinshtein said on social media. Khinshtein said 220 of the civilians had been placed in temporary accommodation in the Kursk region, while the rest were staying with relatives. The Russian defence ministry published footage of mostly elderly people being taken by small vans from Sudzha and Kazachya Loknya, previously held by Ukraine. — AFP
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