Trump doubles down on Putin criticism – as Russia offers Ukraine a date and location for peace talks

Donald Trump has doubled down on his criticism of Vladimir Putin – including he’ll know quickly if the Russian chief is simply “tapping” him alongside.

The US president informed reporters on the White Home that he believed his counterpart in Moscow could also be deliberately delaying ceasefire talks, whereas he additionally expressed disappointment at heavy Russian bombing over the weekend.

Whereas Mr Trump has up to now stopped in need of imposing sanctions – to keep away from, he says, “screwing up” negotiations – he warned his stance might change.

Ukraine Q&A: Are we any closer to war ending?

The president stated: “We’ll discover out whether or not or not he is tapping us alongside or not, and if he’s, we’ll reply a little bit otherwise,” including that he “cannot inform you” if Mr Putin needed peace.

His feedback within the Oval Workplace got here minutes after Russia’s overseas minister introduced that the Kremlin had provided Ukraine a second spherical of talks on 2 June in Istanbul.

Kyiv didn’t instantly reply to the proposal, which Sergei Lavrov stated would see Moscow hand their proposals for a possible peace deal on to Ukraine.

“We hope that each one those that are sincerely, and never simply in phrases, within the success of the peace course of will help holding a brand new spherical of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul,” Mr Lavrov added.

Afterward Wednesday, Ukraine’s defence minister Rustem Umerov stated his authorities was “not towards” additional conferences, however known as for Russia to ship its memorandum to Kyiv beforehand.

The phrases that recommend Russia’s proposal for talks are only for present

By being the primary to suggest a date and placement for the second spherical of direct talks, Russia is making an attempt to painting itself because the principal driver in direction of peace.

Its current barrage of assaults on Ukraine have drawn harsh phrases from Donald Trump.

That is an try to appease his considerations and to point out Washington that Moscow remains to be eager about a deal.

However it feels way more performative than the rest, as a result of Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov’s assertion makes it clear that Russia’s place hasn’t softened one bit.

Referring to a memorandum outlining the contours of a settlement, he stated it particulars “all elements of reliably overcoming the basis causes of the disaster”.

In Moscow’s opinion, the “root causes” of the battle have been NATO growth and the persecution of Russian audio system in jap Ukraine.

So, if that is the idea of its memorandum, then the doc will basically be an inventory of Moscow’s maximalist calls for, together with everlasting neutrality for Ukraine.

Lavrov additionally confirmed that Russia’s delegation will once more be led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who Kyiv final time dismissed as being too junior for the talks to attain something significant.

Expectations of a breakthrough at spherical two will likely be equally low.

In the meantime, Mr Lavrov additionally hit out at Germany for agreeing to finance the manufacturing of long-range missiles in Ukraine, accusing Berlin of displaying it’s “already a participant within the battle”.

Nonetheless, German chief Friedrich Merz declined to say that his nation would hand over the Taurus missiles that Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy – who was in Berlin on Wednesday – has lengthy needed.

Ukraine’s want for ammunition has turn into all of the extra pressing after Russia launched a few of the largest aerial assaults of the battle up to now over the weekend.

Learn extra:
Would ‘smart’ missiles allow Ukraine to hit key bridge?
Lavrov accuses West of secrecy over strikes

Russia stated it had downed 296 Ukrainian drones over 13 areas in a single day, whereas Ukraine stated it had struck a number of weapon manufacturing websites.

Kyiv, in flip, stated Moscow had launched 88 drones and 5 ballistic missiles since Tuesday.

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