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Lavrov: Ukraine woody needs to beryllium "fine tuned"
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday that the Kremlin is "ready to scope a deal" with the U.S. connected Ukraine, though helium besides said immoderate elements request to beryllium "fine tuned."
"The President of the United States believes, and I deliberation rightly so, that we are moving successful the close direction," Lavrov said successful an interrogation Thursday with "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."
The comments came aft Russia struck Kyiv overnight Thursday, sidesplitting astatine slightest 8 radical and injuring much than 70, successful the deadliest battle connected the Ukrainian superior successful months arsenic President Trump pushes a connection for an extremity to the war.
Asked by Brennan what made it worthy sidesplitting civilians aft Ukraine had said successful March that it's acceptable for a ceasefire, Lavrov said "we lone people subject goals oregon civilian sites utilized by the military," adding that "President Putin expressed this for truthful galore times, and this is not antithetic this clip arsenic well."
Lavrov suggested that the onslaught was intentional, arguing that "if this was a people utilized by the Ukrainian military," past the curate of defence and commanders successful the tract "have the close to onslaught them."
Still, connected the talks with Ukraine, determination are "several signs that we are moving successful the close direction," Lavrov said. Among them, helium cited Mr. Trump arsenic "probably the lone person connected Earth who recognized the request to code the basal causes of this situation."
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump issued a uncommon rebuke of the Russian president successful a station connected Truth Social Thursday morning, saying he's "not happy" with the Kyiv strikes, portion noting that they took spot arsenic helium worked to scope a bid deal. It was "very atrocious timing," helium said and addressed Putin, saying, "Vladimir, STOP!"
Russia launched the full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful 2022, aft archetypal sending troops into eastbound Ukraine successful 2014. Russia has claimed its violative penetration was provoked by Ukraine and the West, an assertion that has been rejected by the U.S. and Europe.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly said helium believes Russia wants bid and continues to publically knock Ukraine's democratically elected leader, President Volodmyr Zelenskyy, successful spite of Ukraine's acceptance of his projected 30-day ceasefire. And on the run trail, helium pledged to negociate an extremity to the warfare successful a day. But astir 100 days into his administration, an statement eludes him.
On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance warned that Russia and Ukraine indispensable scope a bid deal, arsenic envoys from the U.K., France, the U.S, Ukraine and Germany met successful London. Vance said the White House has "issued a precise explicit connection to some the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it's clip for them to either accidental yes, oregon for the United States to locomotion distant from this process."
Vance said the model for diplomacy was closing, and the U.S. envisions a frost of subject struggle much oregon little on existing lines. The Institute for the Study of War estimates that Russia holds astir 18% of Ukrainian territory. In the meantime, U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg met successful London with European allies and Ukraine connected Wednesday. European partners are acrophobic that the U.S. presumption is focused connected pressuring Ukraine, which is the unfortunate of the Russian invasion, and not extracting immoderate concessions to day from the aggressor.
Later Wednesday, Mr. Trump accused Zelenskyy of prolonging the struggle by saying helium wouldn't judge Russian power of Crimea arsenic portion of a ceasefire agreement. Crimea, located successful Ukraine's confederate peninsula, has been occupied by Russia since 2014.
Mr. Trump said successful a station that the U.S. had not asked Zelenskyy to admit Crimea arsenic Russian territory, though helium besides said, "Crimea was mislaid years ago," portion Obama was president . Mr. Trump said the parties are "very adjacent to a Deal, but the antheral with 'no cards to play' should now, finally, GET IT DONE."
Mr. Trump told reporters successful the Oval Office Thursday day that "we're putting a batch of unit connected Russia," though it was unclear what unit helium was referencing. The U.S. has not placed caller sanctions connected Russia, and the president has argued helium considers it a concession by Putin that helium has not prehend Ukraine successful its entirety. Mr. Trump reiterated that helium thinks Russia "wants to marque a deal," but "it takes 2 to tango."
"You person to person Ukraine privation to marque a woody too, and they're being deed precise hard, and I bash judge they privation to marque a deal," the president said.
Zelenskyy reposted connected societal media a 2018 connection by then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo astir Crimea that said, "the United States reaffirms arsenic argumentation its refusal to admit the Kremlin's claims of sovereignty implicit territory seized by unit successful contravention of planetary law."
That argumentation of arming Ukraine, and rejecting Russia's seizure of territory by unit seems to person changed during the 2nd Trump administration.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who joined the president Thursday astatine the bilateral gathering with Norway's premier curate successful the Oval Office, added that "this warfare is endable," citing a "great meeting" connected Wednesday, and meetings to travel implicit the weekend.
"We've shown them the decorativeness line, we request some of them to accidental yes," Rubio said. "But what happened past nighttime with those rocket strikes should punctual everybody of wherefore this warfare needs to end."
Kaia Hubbard is simply a authorities newsman for CBS News Digital, based successful Washington, D.C.
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