President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for tougher sanctions on Moscow and said, ‘I believe the Russians are breaking the promises they made to America.’
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s attempts to secure a truce in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine appeared to have hit a “deadlock.”
Arriving in Kyiv to meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Baerbock said it was “absolutely crucial” European countries supported Ukraine “due to the deadlock” between the United States and Russia on arranging a cease-fire.
According to the Ukrainian president’s website, Zelenskyy told Baerbock: “Thank you for your great support and attention to Ukraine and our people. We are grateful to Germany, your government, and all German people for the significant assistance.”
He also thanked the German parliament, the Bundestag, for agreeing to provide an extra three billion euros ($3.24 billion) to Ukraine.
During his campaign last year, Trump repeatedly promised to stop what he has described as a “ridiculous” war in Ukraine, and when he returned to the White House in January, his administration moved quickly to initiate a cease-fire and bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Both after a series of meetings in Saudi Arabia, Moscow and Kyiv have balked at the other’s terms for 30-day halt in the fighting, and have thus far failed to agree with the United States on which types of targets should be included or excluded from a limited cease-fire.
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On March 28, Putin—who does not acknowledge Zelenskyy’s presidency as legitimate—suggested placing Ukraine under a U.N. external governance plan, which could manage democratic elections in Ukraine, after which Russia and Ukraine could enter into a more permanent peace agreement.
Even a partial cease-fire in the Black Sea, which the White House thought it had negotiated, seems to have foundered after the Kremlin introduced conditions.
On March 25, Trump said his administration was reviewing “five or six conditions” Russia had brought up.
On April 1, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, “We consider the models and solutions proposed by the Americans quite seriously, but we can’t just accept all of them as they are.”
But during a joint press conference with Baerbock on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said, “I believe we have reached the point where stronger sanctions are needed, because I believe the Russians are breaking the promises they made to America.”
“For us, decisive action is crucial. Words are not enough. We are the ones who suffer,” he added.
‘Additional Efforts’
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, in a conference call with journalists on Tuesday, “The issues that we are discussing in connection with the Ukrainian settlement are quite complex and they require a lot of additional efforts.”
On March 30, Trump expressed his frustration with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy.
“If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault … I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump reportedly told NBC News.
The White House reposted the NBC report on the call.
The Epoch Times has made a request for a transcript of the interview.
On his flight back to Washington on Sunday evening, Trump clarified his position on Putin.
He told The Epoch Times: “I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word. I’ve known him for a long time. We’ve always gotten along well.”
Asked when he wanted Russia to agree to a cease-fire, Trump said there was a “psychological deadline.”
“If I think they’re tapping us along, I will not be happy about it,” he added.
Trump also claimed Zelenskyy was “trying to back out of the rare earth deal,” and added, ”If he does that, he’s got some problems. Big, big problems.”
But Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Tuesday that the mineral deal with the United States still remained under discussion.
Ukraine claims it was hit by more Russian drone strikes overnight on Tuesday.
The mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, said, in a post on the Telegram messaging app, “Fifteen drone strikes were carried out on Kharkiv.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
