Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin’s top diplomat claims Moscow ‘ready to reach’ peace deal after Trump rebuke
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said talks to end the war with Ukraine were “moving in the right direction” after Donald Trump insisted he is putting pressure on Vladimir Putin.
“We are ready to reach a deal, but there are still some specific points – elements – of this deal which need to be fine-tuned,” the top Russian diplomat said, according to an excerpt from an interview with CBS News.
His statement comes shortly after Mr Trump issued a rare rebuke against Russia for pounding Kyiv in the latest strikes that killed at least 12 people.
Mr Trump wrote on social media: “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”
He later told reporters: “You have no idea what pressure I’m putting … We’re putting a lot of pressure. We’re putting a lot of pressure on Russia, and Russia knows that.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview, said he wished Mr Trump would realise that “Russia is the aggressor” in the three-year-long war in Europe. “But you shouldn’t be saying that Ukraine … started this war,” he said, referring to Mr Trump.
