The US and its Partners G7 warned Moscow that they could expand sanctions and use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, because Donald Trump is trying to win Vladimir Putin for his proposal for a ceasefire.
After a week in which Kyiv signed up to 30 -day ceasefire Moscow, however, signaled unwillingness so immediately, US Foreign Minister Marco Rubio and his counterparts on Friday reached the degree of unity by throwing a joint statement of possible steps against Russia.
Their communication, released after the G7 meeting in Canada, noted that foreign ministers discussed the imposition of other fines if the Kremlin did not fully carry out a ceasefire.
Asked about sanctions, Rubio warned us that Trump “he doesn't want to do that now, because he is in the hope of attracting people on both sides to a process where we can negotiate peace”.
He added that it was not clear whether Russia was playing time.
“The question is that we are actually moving towards a ceasefire, or is it a delay tactic?” The State Secretary said. “I won't answer that because I can't characterize it for you now.”
The G7 statement said ministers discussed possible measures against Moscow, such as “Oil price restrictions as well Russian assets.
G7 stiffened about 300 billion euros owned by the central bank of Russia-mostly cash and government bonds-in 2022 after Moscow in full scale invasion of Ukraine.
On Saturday, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will urge the leaders of about 25 countries in the “coalition of willing” the state ready to watch any ceasefire in Ukraine and discuss how to increase sanctions if Putin disagrees with the agreement. Downing Street confirmed that the seizure of frozen Russian assets was “on the table”.
He admitted that the seizure of such assets – unlike the use of interest that is growing from them to support Ukraine, as is currently – a “complex situation”, but added: “They look at all options.”
France and Germany, which have long opposed the fully developed seizure of assets held in the EU, warn to the idea and discuss with the UK and other ways in which they could be used.
“We cannot allow President Putin to play games with President Trump,” Starmer said as he was preparing to host video recordings with leaders of European countries along with Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
“If Russia finally comes to the table, we must be ready to watch the ceasefire to ensure that it is a serious and lasting peace.” If they do not do so, we must strain every tendon to increase economic pressure on Russia to ensure the end of this war. ”
The video call on Saturday morning builds on a personal meeting of leaders from a “willing” coalition in Lancaster House in London two weeks ago.
Britain hoped that Japanese Prime Minister Shiger Ishiba would attend, but Starmer's helpers said he wouldn't be on the line. “We're still talking,” one British official said.
Rubio, who previously indicated that Kiev would have to make territorial concessions, would signal on Friday, that it would also have to do it. “I have never heard that President Trump says Russia has the right to take all Ukraine and do what they want,” he said.
He added that Trump's national security team would convene this weekend after Steve Witkoff would return from Moscow to explore the Russian position.
Trump said in his social network of truth that the discussion of the previous day with Putin was “good and productive”.
Until this week, the new administration focused on exerting pressure on Kiev to agree to the rapid end of the war, but the doubts that Putin expressed about an immediate ceasefire moved attention to Moscow.
“The ball is now in the Russian court in terms of Ukraine,” said Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly on Friday, adding that in Ukraine there was a “strong unity of G7”.
One official stated that the text of communication in Ukraine was the subject of tense guessing overnight. The US claimed that the strong language could disrupt the conversations with Russia and it was weakened to achieve the agreement, they said.
Kyiv and her allies in Britain and France wanted to overcome the disastrous meeting between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelkyym last month by putting measures against Russia in the US agenda.
The Zelenkyy Government agreed to Trump's proposal this week after the US suspended military assistance and sharing intelligence information with Kiev – both Washington now claims that it continued.
Putin, on the other hand, said he supported the ceasefire but added it “Problems” remained This was to be discussed first.
Its unwillingness to support the design of the ceasefire comes because the Russian forces were significant Advances in the Kursk regionWhere Ukraine caught over 1,000 km from Russia last summer.
In his truth, Social Post Trump claimed that the Russian army had surrounded thousands of Ukrainian troops and added that “I strongly asked President Putin to spare their lives”.
The General Staff of Ukraine denied that the Ukrainian troops were surrounded and said that the fighting was still ongoing.
Putin said on Friday that the Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk should give up “Trump's appeal” because Zeletskyy rejected the attitude of Moscow on a ceasefire as a clearance tactics.
“The devil is in detail and they will start to offer you details to draw you into the dialogue, postpone certain processes and postpone the end of the war,” the Ukrainian president said. He added that he was hoping for a “strong response” from Trump to Putin's position.
Zeletskyy also said that the question of Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian forces would be “most difficult” to solve.
Ceasefire and territory “are the most difficult moments [of a negotiation]”He said.” “The first is difficult because it requires courage and political will, the second, because it requires a difficult dialogue.”
More Reports Max Seddon in Berlin
