MOSCOW: Russia said Wednesday that momentum towards reaching a peace deal in Ukraine following Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump’s presidential summit in Alaska had largely “gone”.
The two leaders met at an air base in the Alaskan city of Anchorage in August but failed to reach any agreement on ending the three-and-a-half year war.
Diplomatic efforts to end the fighting have since floundered with both Moscow and Kyiv launching deadly strikes into each other’s territory and Russia advancing on the battlefield.
“Unfortunately, we must admit that the powerful momentum generated by Anchorage in favour of agreements… has largely gone,“ Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said according to Russian news agencies.
Ryabkov blamed Europe for the impasse accusing them of wanting to wage a “war to the last Ukrainian”.
Trump who promised to end the war within “24 hours” of taking office has grown increasingly frustrated at Putin’s apparent reluctance to accept a deal.
The US leader reached out to Putin within weeks of returning to the White House but has failed to extract any major concessions from the Kremlin.
Last month US Vice President JD Vance told broadcaster Fox News that Washington was considering sending long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine a move Putin warned would mean a “whole new level of escalation”.
Ryabkov warned that sending Tomahawks to Ukraine would have “severe” consequences and urged Washington to reconsider the decision. – AFP