Diplomacy
Russia-US talks yield no progress, sources say

According to a report by the Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the matter, US officials informed their European and Ukrainian counterparts in a briefing following contacts with Russia that despite meeting with Russian diplomats at least six times in the past two months, they came away empty-handed from the talks, and this situation is starting to worry them.
The Donald Trump administration had offered a generous package of proposals to Russia, such as the lifting of sanctions, joint business projects, and the recognition of Crimea.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin continued to insist on his demands, primarily the denazification of Ukraine.
According to Financial Times sources, Putin rejected Ukraine’s demand, supported by the US, to have a well-equipped army.
Although some officials continue to believe that the Kremlin will still reach an agreement with Trump, one source stated that currently “nothing is really working.”
Putin’s stance is forcing the US to reconsider its approach.
Sources stated that Trump aims to exit the peace process and reach an agreement as soon as possible, even if it is more modest than his initial goals.
Trump, who promised during his election campaign to end the war within 24 hours, was only able to secure a brief ceasefire on Easter during his first 100 days in the presidential seat.
At the end of March, the US administration announced that a ceasefire had been reached in the Black Sea, but Moscow immediately rejected this agreement.
The Kremlin demanded, as a condition, the lifting of sanctions imposed on Rosselkhozbank (Russian Agricultural Bank) and the bank’s readmission to the SWIFT system.
Trump, who initially avoided openly criticizing Putin, is no longer hiding his discomfort.
On April 24, following the attack on Kyiv, Trump wrote on his Truth Social social media account, “Vladimir, stop!”
Two days later, he stated that Putin “might be stalling” him. Trump wrote that perhaps action should be taken against Russia “in a different way,” suggesting that banking or secondary sanctions could be applied.
Russia responded to the US by raising its tone. Last week, Security Council Chairman Sergei Shoygu accused the West of triggering a “third world war” involving the use of nuclear weapons.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on the other hand, demanded that the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts be recognized as belonging to Russia, not only by the US but by the entire world community.
On April 29, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council Nikolay Patrushev said that Moscow considers Odesa a Russian city and has offered to hold a referendum for the local population.