 "EU says US and Russia are not discussing 'real negotiations' on Ukraine ceasefire")
Members of the European Union on Thursday said that “no real negotiations” are coming out of talks between the US and Russia on Ukraine ceasefire. The bloc’s leaders have expressed scepticism over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s seriousness to end the three-year-old war.
A readout from a meeting between EU leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who joined via video conference said, “They discussed the situation on the ground in Ukraine and the state of play of the US-led talks. There was a shared view that no real negotiations are taking place at the moment.”
EU leaders also discussed ways of supporting Kyiv politically and militarily as Washington grows closer to Moscow and amid Putin and Trump’s frequent exchanges over phone.
The Kremlin on Thursday accused European countries of planning to “militarise” rather than seek peace. “For the most part, the signals from Brussels and European capitals concern plans to militarise Europe,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters including AFP.
Russia-US to begin talks on ceasefire
Russian and US officials will hold talks on Ukraine in Saudi Arabia on Monday, President Vladimir Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov said.
Trump spoke to both Putin and Zelenskyy this week and the US is also due to hold talks with Kyiv in the coming days.
“These consultations will take place on Monday, March 24th, in Riyadh,” Ushakov said Thursday in comments published by the Kremlin.
“From the Russian side, they will be attended by Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Senate’s committee on international affairs, and Sergei Beseda, advisor to the head of the FSB security service.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsUkrainian officials to meet US counterparts
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has announced that his officials will meet US officials on the sidelines of the Riyadh talks, an event that was not open to Kyiv earlier.
“Our technical teams will be there,” Zelensky said, describing meetings on Monday in Saudi Arabia between US and Ukrainian officials that would happen on the same day as a meeting between Russian and American representatives.
With inputs from AFP
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