Putin describes efforts to end Ukraine war as "drawn-out" process
The Kremlin has described Vladimir Putin’s efforts to end the three-year war with Ukraine as “a drawn-out process,” despite Donald Trump’s frustration with the Russian leader for delaying a ceasefire and Moscow's continued aerial assaults on Ukraine.
"We are working to implement some ideas in connection with the Ukrainian settlement. This work is ongoing," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, News.Az reports citing The Independent.
It comes after the US president told NBC’s Kristen Welker that he was “p***** off” after Putin called for elections in Ukraine and again questioned the credibility of Volodymyr Zelensky’s government, despite the Ukrainian leader being his nation’s elected leader.
Russia rejected a US proposal for an immediate and full 30-day halt in the fighting and set tough conditions for a partial ceasefire in the Black Sea, through which both countries ship grain and cargo. Mr Trump had promised to end the conflict on his election trail last year.
When asked about President Trump’s anger, Mr Peskov said: "There is nothing concrete yet that we could and should announce. This is a drawn-out process because of the difficulty of its substance."
Mr Trump’s escalating criticism of Russia followed weeks of being accused of taking Putin’s side in Europe’s largest conflict since World War II.
While Mr Peskov did not directly address President Trump’s criticism of Russia, he said Putin "remains absolutely open to contacts" with the US president.
But both analysts and Western and Ukrainian officials have said the countries are still preparing for a spring-summer battlefield campaign.
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