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KYIV: Germany’s chief diplomat on Tuesday described US President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a truce in the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine as deadlocked, while China’s foreign minister said that it was encouraging that the talks between Washington and Moscow on finding a settlement are continuing.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, arriving in Kyiv for an unannounced visit, said that “due to the deadlock” between the US and Russia on forging a ceasefire deal, European allies’ continued support for Ukraine in the war is “absolutely crucial.”
Trump on Sunday scolded Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, expressing frustration at the continued fighting in a war that he had pledged to swiftly stop.
Trump insisted progress was being made in the negotiations, but said that he would consider imposing further sanctions to put pressure on Moscow and accused Zelensky of trying to back out of a deal with the US on access to Ukraine’s mineral resources.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Tuesday that the latest version of the mineral deal remained under discussion and that Ukraine had conducted its first round of consultations on that version.
Putin has effectively refused a US proposal for an immediate and full 30-day halt in the fighting, despite Trump’s prodding. Also, a partial ceasefire in the Black Sea that could allow safer shipments has fallen foul of conditions imposed by Kremlin negotiators.
“We consider the models and solutions proposed by the Americans quite seriously, but we can’t just accept all of them as they are,” Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.
Moscow is holding out on a deal to ease shipping in the Black Sea in order to “stall efforts toward a general ceasefire and extract additional concessions from the West,” according to an assessment Monday by the Institute for the Washington-based Study of War think tank.
Trump has signaled that he could consider new oil sanctions on Russia — a development Ukraine would view favorably.
“I believe we have reached the point where stronger sanctions are needed, because I believe the Russians are breaking the promises they made to America,” Zelensky said during a joint press conference with Baerbock in Kyiv on Tuesday.
“For us, decisive action is crucial. Words are not enough,” Zelensky added. “We are the ones who suffer.”
Putin previously has ruled out a temporary break in hostilities, saying that it would only benefit Ukraine and its Western allies by letting them replenish their arsenals. He has insisted that Moscow wants a comprehensive agreement that would ensure a lasting settlement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated Tuesday that a breakthrough in negotiations isn’t imminent.
“The issues that we are discussing in connection with the Ukrainian settlement are quite complex and they require a lot of additional efforts,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.
New drone attacks on energy facilities
Meanwhile, deadly attacks by both Russia and Ukraine have continued, and they are gearing up for spring campaigns in their war of attrition along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.
Overnight, Russia fired no Shahed drones at Ukraine for the first time in more than five months, according to authorities.
But Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the counter-disinformation branch of Ukraine’s Security Council, detected no change in Russian strategy.
“For now, this means nothing,” he said on Telegram.
Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of launching new drone attacks on energy facilities in Russia’s Belgorod region and in the Russia-controlled part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. Zelensky accused Russia of failing to uphold its commitment to a ceasefire targeting the energy infrastructure.
“I’ve asked our side to pass information through various institutions about Russia’s breaches of the agreement not to strike energy facilities,” he said, adding that the reports have been sent almost daily. “We’re sharing this information with the United States, and we see that America is beginning to understand it.”
Ukraine’s European backers say they will keep supporting Kyiv’s efforts to defeat Russia’s invasion. Zelensky said a closed-door meeting with military officials from several partner countries will take place Friday to further discuss the possible deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine as a part of future security guarantees.
“It will be the first in-depth meeting... based on proposals prepared by the Ukrainian side,” he said.
‘A fair, long-term, binding peace’
Putin is getting military help from North Korea and Iran.
China, too, has given diplomatic support to Russia and has provided economic help through trade in energy and consumer goods.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on a visit to Moscow, was quoted as saying Tuesday that “certain results have been achieved” in Washington’s attempt to stop the war as US-Russia relations have improved under Trump.
Beijing supports the goal of “a fair, long-term, binding peace agreement acceptable to all parties involved,” he said in an interview with Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
At the start of his meeting with Putin, Wang said they would discuss future relations. “The China-Russia relationship will not stand still, but will only become more and more extensive,” he said.