Russia, accused of stalling, wants answers before truce

US President Donald Trump has expressed growing frustration over the lack of progress towards a ceasefire in the ongoing three-year conflict. Despite discussions with both Ukrainian and Russian officials, Trump voiced his displeasure with the situation, stating that the bombing continues relentlessly and needs to stop.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded by emphasizing that Russian President Vladimir Putin supports the idea of a ceasefire but insists that several issues must be resolved before any agreement can be made. He pointed out that these unresolved questions remain unanswered, attributing the lack of progress to the "uncontrollability" of the Ukrainian government.

In March, Putin rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional ceasefire and conditioned a truce in the Black Sea on the West lifting certain sanctions. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented that Trump would not engage in endless negotiations with Russia, while French President Emmanuel Macron urged Moscow to stop using "stalling tactics."

Despite the ongoing talks, Russia has continued its military actions, including a recent missile strike on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown, which resulted in the deaths of 20 people, including nine children. The Kremlin denied targeting civilian infrastructure.

During a visit to Cairo, Macron called on Russia to accept the US push for a ceasefire, criticizing Russia's refusal to halt its attacks on civilians. Macron stressed that Russia must end its delays and accept the unconditional ceasefire.

Recent discussions between the US, Russia, and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia had made little progress, with both sides agreeing on a Black Sea truce. However, Moscow stated that the truce would only come into effect once Western sanctions against Russia's state-owned agricultural lender were lifted.

The US has tied its support for Ukraine to receiving profits from Ukraine's rare earth minerals, but this deal collapsed following a tense meeting between Zelensky and Trump in February. Ukraine has announced that its officials will visit Washington this week to continue negotiations.