Trump found killings amid ceasefire talks 'frustrating,' says State Department
Photo: Donald Trump, President of the USA (Getty Images)
Donald Trump has been disappointed by the actions of Russian president Vladimir Putin, particularly the shelling of Ukraine during ceasefire negotiations, says US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce during a briefing.
Bruce was asked whether a "good-faith dialogue" between Russia and Ukraine – something the US had urged Moscow to pursue – could occur simultaneously with military offensives. She replied, "Obviously, we’re going to find that out."
"We’re going to – we’re judging – and I think the President has judged Putin, based on the nature of what was clearly extremely frustrating to him regarding the killing of civilians while talks are going on for a ceasefire," the spokesperson said.
Tammy Bruce also noted that the United States will likely need to make decisions about negotiations depending on how events unfold in the future.
"It is – that's a judgment that's going to come from the leaders of this country – the leaders, frankly, of the free world – of whether or not that's possible, and we're going to have to take that moment by moment in this case," she stated.
Russia's memorandum and new talks
Following talks in Istanbul, the Kremlin announced it was preparing a so-called "memorandum" in which Moscow promised to outline its vision for a ceasefire.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia is proposing a second round of talks with Ukraine on June 2, again in Istanbul. It is there that the Russians plan to officially present their document.
Ukraine, for its part, has already handed over its proposals to Russia. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged the Kremlin not to waste time and to send the memorandum before Monday.
However, Moscow stated that Ukraine’s demand was unconstructive and resumed calls for negotiations.
More about Russia's memorandum and what is known about the upcoming negotiations read in the RBC-Ukraine article.
