Russia is ready for new ideas on Ukraine peace, but with conditions, senior diplomat says
Russia is ready for new ideas on Ukraine peace, but with conditions, senior diplomat says
MOSCOW, Aug 21 (Reuters) – Russia is open to listening to new proposals on how to reach a settlement on the Ukraine conflict, a senior Russian diplomat said, but any proposals should reflect the “realities on the ground”.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview with media outlet News.ru published on Friday that the U.S. demonstrated a readiness for “constructive dialogue” and an “understanding of Russia’s position”.
“At this stage, it is more important to what extent Washington is able to influence the decisions of the Kyiv regime and its European sponsors, who still dream of a ‘strategic defeat’ of Russia,” he told the outlet.
Negotiations between Russia and the U.S. to bring about an end to the conflict in Ukraine have largely stalled amid the war in Iran.
The Kremlin said on Thursday that it had no information yet on a possible next visit to Moscow by U.S. presidential envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who have led negotiations with Russia in the past.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that Washington was committed to helping end the war, following a meeting in Manila with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
But Rubio cautioned there was no quick deal ahead and the U.S. was trying to “find a middle ground”.
Ryabkov said Russia was ready to listen to Rubio’s new ideas and continue dialogue with Washington.
“The Russian Federation is ready to listen to any reasonable proposals and ideas that are in line with the goals set by the Russian president and meet the ‘realities on the ground’,” he said.
After almost 4-1/2 years of war, Russia holds around a fifth of Ukraine’s internationally recognised territory. Moscow has repeatedly said it is open to talks, but that these must recognise the “new realities on the ground”.
NUCLEAR TALKS
In the interview, Ryabkov also suggested Russia was keen to maintain discussions with the U.S. on nuclear weapons. The New START nuclear treaty expired in February, leaving the world’s two biggest nuclear-armed powers with no binding constraints on their strategic arsenals for the first time in more than half a century.
Moscow has said it will keep observing the treaty’s missile and warhead limits as long as Washington does the same.
“We remain open in the future to find political and diplomatic ways to stabilise this area,” Ryabkov said.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Vladimir Soldatkin and Jamie Freed)
The Passivhaus standard is growing in popularity as UK homeowners adapt to hotter summer temperatures.
SEOUL, Aug 22 (Reuters) – A South Korean container ship sets sail on Saturday for Europe via the Arctic in the nation’s first commercial voyage on the route to test its viability, with the hope of
Nine people are still missing after the attack which left 130 injured, including a number of children.
The names of the 11 men who died will be read out at 13:22 BST, the exact time the plane crashed.
The Reform UK-run council says it wants to look again at Pothole Pros after officers rejected them.
Jacqui and Malcolm, from Gateshead, say trust, empathy and humour are the secrets of a happy home.
There have now been 517 cases of bluetongue in the UK, according to government figures.
Michelle Torossian said an injunction had been filed on behalf of her father George Mason.
The repair work has led to large traffic jams between Gloucester and the Forest of Dean.
A livestock farmer has spotted people jogging through her farm where cows are calving.
Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust says the lack of rain made it easier for ospreys to fish.
People wearing face coverings could be issued with fines under the new plans.
The U.S. was set to impose 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products early Saturday. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney countered that Canada would match them “dollar for dollar.”
Tom Parnaby was 18 when he and a friend were badly injured by a firework last Bonfire Night.
The wildfires burning across Europe this summer have exposed a potentially deadly threat lurking beneath the blackened landscape: rusty bombs and mines from World War I and II that threaten crews responding to the flames. Blasts have been reported in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, where a bomb-disposal team was dispatched to check a forest threatened by flames near a site of fierce fighting in the Limburg province in 1944. Fueled by climate change, the fires and explosions show that the continent’s “climatic luck” is running out, said Sarah Njeri, a peace and conflict scholar at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.
The Hospice 10K carries on the legacy of Jayson Lee who died while playing football in 2009.
The rules have sparked anger, with one estate agent saying there has been no viewings for 18 months.
Margate Winter Gardens is set to reopen to the public in 2027, five years after closing its doors.
A new 50% levy on $20bn of Canadian imports comes into force after a last-minute breakdown in trade talks.
Bright pink signs have been installed to encourage people to bin their chewing gum responsibly.
Powered by WPeMatico