Ukraine-Russia war live: Warning Putin must face ceasefire red lines amid fury over Moscow’s delay tactics

The ball is in Russia’s courtroom concerning a ceasefire in Ukraine, Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte stated on Friday after assembly Nato overseas ministers in Brussels.

A number of European ministers requested for a deadline to be set for Moscow to reply to the US proposal for a ceasefire – however Mr Rutte didn’t say if he was in favour of that proposal.

He added that the army alliance nonetheless believes Russia poses the best menace to its safety.

The scenario in Russia’s Belgorod area is “beneath management” after Ukrainian troops tried to interrupt by way of the border a fortnight in the past, Russian commander Apti Alautdinov stated in response to state information company RIA.

Simply as Ukrainian forces are battling to maintain their grip on a sliver of Russia’s Kursk area they captured final 12 months, they’ve tried to stage a little-publicised incursion into the adjoining Belgorod area, in response to Russian army bloggers.

Russian forces are “clearing areas” of Ukrainian troops, Alautdinov stated, who had not succeeded of their purpose of carving out a significant foothold in Belgorod and had been struggling heavy losses.

Reuters couldn’t independently confirm the battlefield report.

Moscow has accused Ukraine of attacking its power infrastructure six occasions previously 24 hours.

Russia information businesses reported the declare amidst an settlement between the international locations to stop attacking such websites – a deal either side have accused the opposite flouting.

The Impartial couldn’t independently confirm the alleged assaults.

Though Russia was not included in Donald Trump’s sweeping world tariff measures he unveiled earlier this week, the Kremlin is making ready to take “additional measures” minimise injury.

Moscow stated it should do what it might probably to guard its economic system from the turbulence the tariffs will convey to the worldwide market.

“We see fairly a excessive stage of turbulence in worldwide markets”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated. “We’re listening to very unfavourable forecasts from numerous economists, together with world-renowned economists, who’re pessimistic about this newest information.”

He stated that whereas the Russian economic system was sturdy, due to the federal government’s efforts, “further efforts” can be obligatory to guard it from tariff shocks. He didn’t specify what these efforts can be.

“Let’s simply say that with a storm like this, we have to be very cautious to minimise the detrimental results on our economic system,” Peskov stated.

Ukrainian officers are set to move to the US within the close to future to debate a brand new framework on a minerals deal.

On-line consultations between Ukrainian and American groups may happen on Friday, public broadcaster Suspilne reported, citing overseas minister Andrii Sybiha.

There aren’t any at present plans for Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump to speak over the telephone, the Kremlin stated on Friday.

Moscow stated no additional preparations had been made following a go to to Washington by Putin’s funding envoy.

It follows experiences that Trump’s interior circle had suggested him to not converse to Putin once more till he dedicated to a full ceasefire in Ukraine.

Russia looking for to make use of ongoing peace negotiations to “seize massive quantities of territory in Ukraine,” a war-monitoring assume tank says.

US based mostly analysts The Institute for the Examine of Conflict (ISW) stated Moscow is hoping to leverage ceasefire talks to put in a pro-Russian puppet authorities in Kyiv, and is prone to proceed army operations in Ukraine if it isn’t capable of safe “full give up” by way of the talks.

It cited the US Workplace of the Director of Nationwide Intelligence’s (ODNI) which acknowledged “Russia is leveraging its management of the theater-wide initiative and ongoing political and data efforts amid negotiations to finish the struggle in Ukraine to realize important concessions from Ukraine and the West.”

It stated the ODNI report additionally assessed that Putin is “most likely” extra keen to incur the dangers of an extended struggle than to conform to an finish to the struggle that’s unfavourable to Russia.