KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥 U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 phone calls with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine deepened expectations that progress might soon be made on ending those countries鈥 more than three-year war, though frustration at the slow pace of negotiations and the absence of any significant breakthrough kept hopes low.
鈥淚t is obvious that Russia is trying to buy time to continue the war and occupation,鈥 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday on Telegram. 鈥淲e are working with partners to put pressure on the Russians to behave differently,鈥 he added in an apparent reference to further international sanctions on Russia.
Ukraine has offered a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire, which Moscow has effectively rejected by imposing far-reaching conditions, and Zelenskyy with Russian President Vladimir Putin but the Russian leader spurned that offer.
Trump said his personal intervention was needed to push peace efforts forward, and on Monday he held separate talks over the phone with Zelenskyy and Putin.
Russia and Ukraine will 鈥渋mmediately鈥 begin ceasefire negotiations, Trump announced, though there was no detail on when or where such talks might take place.
鈥淭he status quo has not changed,鈥 Mykhailo Podoliak, a senior adviser to Zelenskyy, wrote on the social platform X on Tuesday.
U.S. officials have for the past few months urged Russia and Ukraine to reach a settlement, as to Europe鈥檚 biggest conflict since World War II.
Trump said his talks with Putin on Monday were 鈥渆xcellent,鈥 but European officials were skeptical about Russia's intentions.
鈥淧utin has never changed his position,鈥 Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said in Brussels on Tuesday. 鈥淩ussia actually doesn鈥檛 want to end this war.鈥
The European Union鈥檚 foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said Russia鈥檚 failure to negotiate in good faith should trigger threatened U.S. sanctions.
鈥淲e really haven鈥檛 seen, you know, the pressure on Russia from these talks,鈥 she told reporters.
Also, some were unconvinced by Putin鈥檚 promise to Trump that Russia is 鈥渞eady to work with鈥 Ukraine on a 鈥渕emorandum鈥 outlining the framework for 鈥渁 possible future peace treaty.鈥
鈥淚t appears that Putin has devised a way to offer Trump an interim, tangible outcome from Washington鈥檚 peace efforts without making any real concessions,鈥 Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said on X.
The warring countries are insisting on for peace, and even a temporary truce has been out of reach.
The since the early weeks of ended after less than two hours last Friday, and while both sides agreed on a large prisoner swap, they clearly remained far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting.
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Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed.
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