Britain and France accuse Russia’s Putin of delaying Ukraine ceasefire efforts

BRUSSELS AP Britain and France on Friday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet in ceasefire talks aimed at halting his country s invasion of Ukraine and demanded a swift response from Moscow after weeks of U S efforts to secure a truce A Russian drone attack late Thursday on Kharkiv Ukraine s second-largest city killed five civilians and dramatized the diplomatic insistence on a ceasefire Emergency crews carried black body bags from a burning apartment building as onlookers wept and hugged in the dark Particular of the injured bloodied and in shock limped out into the street or were carried on stretchers as flames shot from the windows of their homes Now I think it is obvious who wants peace and who wants war Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced at a NATO meeting in Brussels referring to the Kharkiv strike We must get Russia serious about peace We must pressure Russia into peace Russia has effectively rejected a U S proposal for a full and immediate -day halt in the fighting A Kremlin official revealed Monday that Moscow views efforts to end its more than three-year war with Ukraine as a drawn-out process Our judgment is that Putin continues to obfuscate continues to drag his feet British Foreign Secretary David Lammy narrated reporters at NATO headquarters standing alongside his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot in a symbolic show of unity A Kremlin envoy who visited Washington this week for talks with Trump administration leaders announced Friday that further meetings will be needed to resolve outstanding issues Kirill Dmitriev notified Russian reporters that the dialogue will take specific time but it s proceeding positively and constructively He criticized what he called a well-coordinated media campaign and attempts by various politicians to spoil Russia-U S relations distort what Russia says and cast Russia and its leaders in a negative way Dmitriev the head of Russia s sovereign wealth fund was sanctioned by the Biden administration after the invasion of Ukraine The U S had to temporarily lift the restrictions to allow him to advance to Washington this week Civilian areas in three other Ukrainian regions were also hit in Russian attacks overnight officers commented The Ukrainian air force declared Russia fired strike and decoy drones Russia s Defense Ministry explained its air defenses destroyed Ukrainian drones Plans for ground offensive Russian forces are preparing to launch a fresh military offensive in the coming weeks to maximize pressure on Ukraine and strengthen the Kremlin s negotiating position in the ceasefire talks according to Ukrainian executive and Western military analysts Russia is preparing a major multi-pronged ground offensive along the -kilometer -mile front line as muddy fields dry out and allow tanks armored vehicles and other heavy equipment to roll into key positions across the countryside Britain and France are helping to lead a multinational effort known as the coalition of the willing to set up a force that might police any future peace agreement in Ukraine A senior Ukrainian official stated earlier this week that between and countries have reported they are ready to join the coalition Lammy reported that while Putin should be accepting a ceasefire he continues to bombard Ukraine It s civilian population It s potential supplies We see you Vladimir Putin We know what you are doing Russia has been flip-flopping Barrot reported that Ukraine had accepted ceasefire terms three weeks ago and that Russia now owes an answer to the United States U S President Donald Trump has expressed frustration with Putin and Ukraine s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after he promised last year to bring the war to a swift conclusion Russia has been flip-flopping continuing its strikes on force infrastructure continuing its war crimes Barrot disclosed It has to be yes It has to be no It has to be a quick answer He commented that Russia shows no intention of halting its military campaign noting that Putin on Monday ordered a call-up intended to draft conscripts for a one-year tour of compulsory military utility The two foreign ministers pledged to continue helping to build up Ukraine s armed forces the country s best measure guarantee since the U S took any prospect of NATO membership off the table Coalition army chiefs were due to meet in Kyiv on Friday Defense ministers from the group will meet at NATO headquarters next Thursday Novikov stated from Kyiv Ukraine Follow AP s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https apnews com hub russia-ukraine Source