US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that while Russia wants to end its war with Ukraine, but it “could be dragging its feet.”
“I think that Russia wants to see an end to it, but it could be they’re dragging their feet. I’ve done it over the years,” Trump said in an interview with Newsmax.
US was conducting separate negotiations with Russia and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia, focusing on establishing a potential limited ceasefire, which could be a significant advancement towards ending the conflict.
Earlier in the day, US announced achieving a preliminary accord between Ukraine and Russia through separate negotiations, aiming to halt hostilities and secure safe maritime passage in the Black Sea.
However, numerous specifics remained unresolved, and the Kremlin linked the agreement to the removal of certain Western sanctions.
The statement came following three days of discussions in Saudi Arabia between US officials and separate delegations from Ukraine and Russia, focusing on potential steps towards a limited ceasefire.
Although a full peace agreement remained a distant prospect, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy viewed the discussions positively, describing them as initial “right steps” towards peacefully resolving the 3-year conflict.
“These are the first steps — not the very first but initial ones — with this presidential administration toward completely ending the war and the possibility of a full ceasefire, as well as steps toward a sustainable and fair peace agreement,” he stated during a press conference.
The White House issued separate statements following the Riyadh meetings, where US specialists met individually with Ukrainian and Russian officials.
Both parties reportedly “agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.”
“We are making a lot of progress,” US President Donald Trump had earlier said at the White House. “So that’s all I can report,” he added.
Earlier, a Russian negotiator previously said that discussions between Russian and US officials regarding a partial Ukrainian ceasefire were constructive and would continue, expressing interest in expanding participation to include the UN and additional nations.
“We talked about everything, it was an intense dialogue, not easy, but very useful for us and the Americans,” Grigory Karasin told Russia’s TASS news agency.
“We will continue it,” he added after the delegations concluded 12 hours of hotel negotiations in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this month, talks took place in Jeddah, following Trump’s criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.
During those sessions, while Kyiv accepted a US-proposed 30-day ceasefire, Russian President Vladimir Putin declined it.