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.
Following last week’s agreement between Russia and Ukraine to temporarily suspend attacks on energy infrastructure, discussions are ongoing to determine the implementation timeline and methodology, as strikes continue.
The negotiations, taking place in Riyadh with American diplomatic representatives, were centred on finalising these arrangements and addressing Black Sea maritime security concerns.
A Russian negotiator previously indicated 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 stated after the delegations concluded 12 hours of hotel negotiations in Saudi Arabia.
He further told TASS, “We will continue” the talks, “adding in the international community, above all the United Nations and certain countries.”
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.
