UK and France accuse Putin of breaking ceasefire talks
Photo: UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (GettyImages)
The United Kingdom and France have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of delaying negotiations on a ceasefire to halt the fighting in Ukraine, The Washington Post reports.
According to UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, Russia actually rejected the US proposal for a complete and immediate ceasefire in Ukraine for 30 days.
"Our judgment is that Putin continues to obfuscate, continues to drag his feet," said Lammy.
UK Foreign Secretary argued that while Putin should agree to a ceasefire, "he continues to bombard Ukraine. It's civilian population. It's energy supplies. We see you, Vladimir Putin. We know what you are doing."
In turn, Barrot noted that Ukraine accepted the terms for a ceasefire three weeks ago, and now Russia "owes an answer to the United States."
"Russia has been flip-flopping, continuing its strikes on energy infrastructure, continuing its war crimes," the French Foreign Minister said.
According to Barrot, Russia should provide a clear response to the US proposal, either "yes" or "no."
The French Foreign Minister believes that Russia shows no intention of ending its military campaign. This is evidenced by Putin's decree to call up 160,000 conscripts for one-year compulsory military service.
Both foreign ministers promised to continue assisting in building Ukraine's armed forces. This would be the best guarantee of Ukraine's security since the US removed any prospect of NATO membership from the agenda.
Negotiation process to end war
On March 11, a meeting took place in Saudi Arabia between US and Ukrainian delegations, where the US proposed a full ceasefire with Russia. Later, two more rounds of negotiations between the US and Kyiv occurred. After these talks, the parties released joint statements.
For more details on this, read our material on the topic.
After negotiations between Moscow and Washington, Russia also issued a final statement following its meeting with American officials. However, the Russian statement outlined several conditions for a ceasefire with Ukraine at sea.
Moreover, Ukraine has defined a number of "red lines" for any peace agreement with Russia.
