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Kremlin describes talks as constructive but says no compromise could be reached on thorniest issue – territory
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The Kremlin has denied claims that Vladimir Putin outright rejected a peace deal brokered by the US as Nato foreign ministers prepared to meet in Brussels.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian leader had accepted some of the proposals from Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner – but that key differences remained.
“A direct exchange of views took place yesterday for the first time,” Peskov said. “Some things were accepted, some things were marked as unacceptable – this is a normal working process of finding a compromise.”
His comments came ahead of a Nato summit in Brussels where foreign ministers will discuss the future of Ukraine’s security.
Ahead of the talks, Estonian foreign minister Margus Tsahkna his country would send troops to Ukraine should security guarantees for the country include a peace force.
Canada, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands have also announced that they will spend hundreds of millions of dollars more together to buy US weapons to donate to Ukraine.
As Moscow becomes more bullish in its hybrid warfare tactics to provoke Nato, James C. Reynolds looks at how both armies and economies compare.
The Kremlin ha claimed that a decision by the European Union to phase out imports of Russian gas by 2027, will lead to higher prices for consumers.
The agreement will include a legally binding, stepwise prohibition on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas imports from Russia, with full bans applying from the end of 2026 and autumn 2027, respectively.
Russia accounted for 12% of EU gas imports as of October, down from 45% prior to the onset of the war in Ukraine in 2022.
Wes Streeting has dismissed Vladimir Putin’s comments that Russia is “ready” for war with Europe as the “same old sabre-rattling”.
The Russian president on Tuesday claimed that Russia was “ready” for a war with Europe in comments that sparked alarm in the West.
Speaking to Sky News, the Health Secretary said that Russia had no plans to attack.
“I think we should see this for what it is, which is the same old sabre-rattling we’ve heard from President Putin,” he said.
“And the the irony of President Putin talking about warmongering on the part of European leaders would be laughable if what he’s doing in Ukraine weren’t so serious.”
All hopes were on Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff trip to Moscow, but a breakthrough in peace talks was never going to happen with a man who has repeatedly taken Russia’s side, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley.
European officials have agreed a deal to phase out Russian gas imports by 2027, Ursula von der Leyen has said.
“This is the dawn of a new era, the era of Europe’s full energy independence from Russia,” the President of the EU Commission said.
The move comes as part of efforts to end the European dependence on Russian energy.
Ms Von der Leyen said that Russian gas imports were “down from 45% at the beginning of the war to 13”, with crude oil imports down to 2%.
Britain’s High Commissioner to India has ignited a diplomatic row after penning an article in an Indian newspaper saying that Vladimir Putin is responsible for the war in Ukraine.
In a joint article with the ambassadors of France and Germany, Lindy Cameron wrote that Russia launched an “unprovoked war of aggression” – sparking anger in the pro-Russian country.
They wrote: “Every day sees new indiscriminate Russian attacks in this illegal war, targeting civilian infrastructure, destroying homes, hospitals, and schools. These are not the actions of someone that is serious about peace.”
Responding to the article, Kanwal Sibal, India’s former foreign secretary, said: “This vicious article against Russia just before Putin’s state visit to India breaches diplomatic norms, is a diplomatic insult to India as it questions India’s close ties with a very friendly third country.
“It is interference in our internal affairs as the purpose is to fuel anti-Russian sentiments in pro-European circles in India and question the morality of our ties with Russia.”
Russia is “preparing for a long-term confrontation”, Nato chief Mark Rutte warned on Wednesday after Putin threw cold water on ceasefire hopes after talks with US representatives.
Rutte told Nato foreign ministers in Brussels that Moscow was working with its cynical partners “to disrupt our societies and tear up the global rules”.
He said the Nato military alliance was “stepping up our defence investments” in kind, but insisted “we all need to pull our weight”.
Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte has said that Ukraine must be in the strongest possible position in peace talks.
His comments came as European foreign ministers prepared to meet in Europe for talks on security for Ukraine.
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