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Demands come as UK and French military officials meet in Kyiv
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European officials have called for Putin to face “red lines” in terms of a timescale for when he accepts a ceasefire agreement.
Estonia’s foreign minister said on Friday that Vladimir Putin is “asking more and he is not asking only more about Ukraine. He’s just putting new conditions on the table”. He added as he arrived at a Nato meeting in Brussels: “There must be some kind of red lines on the timetable.”
He is the latest figure to ask for such measures in recent days, following Polish and Canadian calls for an official deadline.
David Lammy also accused Vladimir Putin of continuing to “drag his feet” on accepting the proposed ceasefire deal, after Moscow rejected an offer for a full 30-day ceasefire in March which Ukraine agreed to.
Meanwhile, at least four people have been killed after Russia launched an overnight attack on the city of Kharkiv. Regional authorities said 35 people, including three children, had been injured in the northeastern city in the fourth such strike on the city so far this week.
The ball is in Russia’s court regarding a ceasefire in Ukraine, Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte said on Friday after meeting Nato foreign ministers in Brussels.
Several European ministers asked for a deadline to be set for Moscow to answer to the US proposal for a ceasefire – but Mr Rutte did not say if he was in favour of that proposal.
He added that the military alliance still believes Russia poses the greatest threat to its security.
The situation in Russia’s Belgorod region is “under control” after Ukrainian troops tried to break through the border a fortnight ago, Russian commander Apti Alautdinov said according to state news agency RIA.
Just as Ukrainian forces are battling to keep their grip on a sliver of Russia’s Kursk region they captured last year, they have tried to stage a little-publicised incursion into the adjacent Belgorod region, according to Russian military bloggers.
Russian forces are “clearing areas” of Ukrainian troops, Alautdinov said, who had not succeeded in their aim of carving out a meaningful foothold in Belgorod and were suffering heavy losses.
Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield report.
Moscow has accused Ukraine of attacking its energy infrastructure six times in the past 24 hours.
Russia news agencies reported the claim amidst an agreement between the countries to cease attacking such sites – a deal both sides have accused the other flouting.
The Independent could not independently verify the alleged attacks.
Although Russia was not included in Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariff measures he unveiled earlier this week, the Kremlin is preparing to take “extra measures” minimise damage.
Moscow said it must do what it can to protect its economy from the turbulence the tariffs will bring to the global market.
“We see quite a high level of turbulence in international markets”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “We are hearing very unfavourable forecasts from various economists, including world-renowned economists, who are pessimistic about this latest news.”
He said that while the Russian economy was robust, thanks to the government’s efforts, “additional efforts” would be necessary to protect it from tariff shocks. He did not specify what those efforts would be.
“Let’s just say that with a storm like this, we need to be very careful to minimise the negative effects on our economy,” Peskov said.
Ukrainian officials are set to head to the US in the near future to discuss a new framework on a minerals deal.
Online consultations between Ukrainian and American teams could take place on Friday, public broadcaster Suspilne reported, citing foreign minister Andrii Sybiha.
There are no currently plans for Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump to talk over the phone, the Kremlin said on Friday.
Moscow said no further arrangements had been made following a visit to Washington by Putin’s investment envoy.
It follows reports that Trump’s inner circle had advised him not to speak to Putin again until he committed to a full ceasefire in Ukraine.
Russia seeking to use ongoing peace negotiations to “seize large amounts of territory in Ukraine,” a war-monitoring think tank says.
US based analysts The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Moscow is hoping to leverage ceasefire talks to install a pro-Russian puppet government in Kyiv, and is likely to continue military operations in Ukraine if it is not able to secure “full surrender” through the talks.
It cited the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s (ODNI) which stated “Russia is leveraging its control of the theater-wide initiative and ongoing political and information efforts amid negotiations to end the war in Ukraine to achieve significant concessions from Ukraine and the West.”
It said the ODNI report also assessed that Putin is “probably” more willing to incur the risks of a longer war than to agree to an end to the war that is unfavourable to Russia.
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