Ceasefire negotiations stall

UKRAINE rallied its Western allies on Friday after Kyiv and Moscow failed to agree to a ceasefire at their first direct talks in three years, with Russia presenting conditions that a Ukrainian source said went beyond its previous demands.

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Under pressure from US President Donald Trump to end the conflict, delegates from the warring countries met for the first time since March, 2022, the month after Russia invaded its neighbour.

The talks in an Istanbul palace lasted well under two hours, and there was no immediate announcement on whether or when the sides might meet again. Russia expressed satisfaction with the talks and both countries said they had agreed to exchange 1000 prisoners of war from each side.

But Kyiv, which wants the West to impose tighter sanctions unless Moscow accepts a proposal from Trump for a 30-day ceasefire, immediately began rallying its allies for tougher action.

As soon as the talks ended, President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with Trump and the leaders of France, Germany and Poland, Zelensky’s spokesperson said.

Russia’s demands were “detached from reality and go far beyond anything that was previously discussed,” a source in the Ukrainian delegation said. The source said Moscow had issued ultimatums for Ukraine to withdraw from parts of its own territory in order to obtain a ceasefire “and other non-starters and non-constructive conditions”.