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Kyiv and European leaders accuse Russian president of 'wasting time'
Arpan Rai,Maryam Zakir-Hussain,Jane DaltonThursday 04 December 2025 04:37 GMTComments
CloseWe are no closer to peace in Ukraine, says Kremlin after US talks
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Donald Trump has insisted his administration believes Vladimir Putin is serious about seeking peace in Ukraine as European leaders accused Russia of feigning interest.
The US president’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Moscow for talks on Tuesday, but the five-hour discussions ended in a stalemate.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Trump said his aides “strongly” got the impression that Putin wanted a peace deal, describing the talks as “reasonably good”. His aides told him their impression from Putin was that "he would like to make a deal” but what happens now, however, is unclear, Trump said.
But European leaders have slammed the Russian leader as being uninterested in ending the conflict, accusing him of “wasting the world's time."
It comes as European Commission chiefs are planning to use frozen Russian state assets worth up to €90bn (£79bn) to lend to Kyiv for Ukraine’s struggling military as well as the country’s basic services.
Putin has warned his country is not only “ready for war” on the continent but could prosecute it with such force that there would be “nobody left to negotiate peace with” when he was finished.
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Key Points
- Putin accused of 'wasting the world's time' after Trump's peace plan stalls
- Trump aides 'strongly' believe Putin wants a deal, president says
- Putin feigning interest in peace, say Europe and Kyiv
- King Charles warns of ‘threat of Russian aggression’ in state banquet speech
- Analysis: After Putin’s chilling threat, is Europe ready for war with Russia?
Zelensky says more meetings on peace talks expected
Volodymyr Zelensky has said regular consultations are on with Ukraine’s partner in the US and talks are proceeding “quite effectively”.
“We’re preparing meetings in the United States – after the American team returns from Moscow and following the relevant consultations in Washington – Rustem Umerov, Andrii Hnatov, along with the rest of the negotiating team, will continue discussions with envoys of President Trump,” he said.
“We expect news in the coming days regarding such meetings, contacts, and talks – whether in person or by phone. All partners are in regular contact with each other and with Ukraine,” Zelensky added.
The Ukrainian war-time president stated that “everything is now proceeding quite effectively – at meetings in Geneva and Florida, Ukraine was heard, and Ukraine was listened to. And that matters. We expect it will continue exactly this way.”
“A dignified peace is only possible if Ukraine’s interests are taken into account,” he said, adding that the world feels there is a real opportunity to end the war.
Arpan Rai4 December 2025 04:37US backs UN demand for Russia to return abducted Ukrainian children
The United States joined 90 other countries at the United Nations to demand Russia "ensure the immediate, safe and unconditional return of all Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred or deported" and urge Moscow to stop the practice.
The adoption of the resolution by the 193-member General Assembly came a day after US president Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Russian president Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin for talks on how to end the deadliest European conflict since the Second World War.
Russia urged countries to oppose the UN resolution, which was drafted by Ukraine, Canada and the European Union.
"Each vote for the resolution is support for lies, war and confrontation. Every vote against is a vote for peace," Russia's deputy UN ambassador Maria Zabolotskaya told the General Assembly ahead of the vote.
Russia and 11 other countries voted against the resolution, while 57 countries abstained. General Assembly resolutions are not binding but carry weight as a reflection of the global view.
Arpan Rai4 December 2025 04:20Why a war with Europe has never looked so tempting to Putin
When Vladimir Putin says he is “ready” for war with Europe, he means it.
So much discussion about the talks between Donald Trump’s team and Putin gives the impression that either the Americans will strong-arm Ukraine into swallowing a deal acceptable to the Kremlin or, failing that, the war in Ukraine will just grind on. But no one should ignore the third option: the risk of war spreading.
Western sanctions have tried to strangle Russia’s oil exports to contain funding for Putin’s war effort. But Ukraine’s intelligence agency, the SBU, has been waging a sabotage campaign against Russian shipping far beyond Ukraine’s Black Sea coast. Attacking Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers in the Baltic as well as the Black Sea could draw Russian retaliation to coastal states like Denmark or Romania, who both also provide much aid to Ukraine.
Mark Almond writes:
Why a war with Europe has never looked so tempting to Putin
The United States has said it wants to sell weapons to the EU, not back it up – that alone will have Moscow licking its lips, says Mark AlmondArpan Rai4 December 2025 04:08Kremlin says 'compromises not found' in peace talks
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, asked if it would be correct to say that Vladimir Putin had rejected the US proposals, disagreed.
"A direct exchange of views took place yesterday for the first time," Peskov said. "Some things were accepted, some things were marked as unacceptable. This is a normal working process of finding a compromise."
A Kremlin aide said after the meeting that "compromises have not yet been found”.
Arpan Rai4 December 2025 03:55Watch: King Charles warns of ‘threat of Russian aggression’ in state banquet speech
King Charles warns of ‘threat of Russian aggression’ in state banquet speechArpan Rai4 December 2025 03:37Putin accused of 'wasting the world's time' after Trump's peace plan stalls
Senior Ukrainian and European officials have accused Russia of not pursuing "any kind of peace" and wasting the world’s time.
Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said the Russian president Vladimir Putin "should end the bluster and the bloodshed and be ready to come to the table and to support a just and lasting peace".
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha called on the Russian leader to "stop wasting the world's time".
“Russia must end the bloodshed it has started. If this doesn’t happen and Putin just spits into the world’s face once again, there must be consequences. Russia must stop wasting the world’s time, which must be the time for peace,” he said.
Estonian foreign minister Margus Tsahkna said Putin "has not changed course", adding: "It's pretty obvious that he doesn't want to have any kind of peace."
Arpan Rai4 December 2025 03:29Over two-thirds of Nato countries pledge weapons for Kyiv
Over two-thirds of the member states of Nato have committed to weapons for Ukraine through the so-called Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), which has received commitments worth $4bn (£3bn) so far, the alliance's secretary general Mark Rutte says.
"We heard from Australia and New Zealand who will also contribute to PURL, the first Nato partners to do so.
“And this means that allies and partners have already committed now really over $4 billion," Mr Rutte said.
Arpan Rai4 December 2025 03:00Putin feigning interest in peace, say Europe and Kyiv
Ukraine and its European allies have accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of feigning interest in peace efforts after five hours of talks with US envoys at the Kremlin produced no breakthrough.
The Russian leader "should end the bluster and the bloodshed and be ready to come to the table and to support a just and lasting peace", said UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged Putin to "stop wasting the world's time".
Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said Tuesday's talks at the Kremlin between Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner were positive, but he wouldn't release any details.
Yuri Ushakov and Vladimir Putin held talks with the US envoys (Sputnik)Jane Dalton4 December 2025 02:02The Romanian military blew up a maritime drone that was endangering navigation in the Black Sea, the country’s Defence Ministry says, amid rising concerns about risks to shipping in the area linked to the war.
The ministry said the drone, found 36 nautical miles east of Constanta, was a Sea Baby - a maritime drone developed by Ukraine.
A Romanian Defence Ministry spokesperson declined to specify the country that the drone came from, but confirmed it was a Sea Baby.
The SBU Security Service of Ukraine said all of its Sea Baby drones engaged in operational tasks in the Black Sea region were accounted for, with none lost. None had entered Romanian waters, it said.
"Ukraine unfailingly adheres to international law, does not violate international borders and treats its partners with respect," it said.
A Sea Baby drone was found off Romania (AP)Jane Dalton4 December 2025 01:01The resilience of long-suffering Ukrainians is about to face its most serious test of the war so far
Surviving the cold season is simply not possible without light and heat, and as Putin launches a massive drone attack after rejecting the terms of another peace deal, Owen Matthews reports on Putin’s plan to deliver his fatal blow on Ukraine:
The resilience of ordinary Ukrainians is about to face its most serious test so far
Surviving the cold season is simply not possible without light and heat, and as Putin launches a massive drone attack after rejecting the terms of another peace deal, Owen Matthews reports on Putin’s plan to deliver his fatal blow on UkraineMaryam Zakir-Hussain4 December 2025 00:00Newer1 / 4OlderMore about
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