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Kyiv and European leaders accuse Russian president of 'wasting time'
Arpan Rai,Maryam Zakir-Hussain,Jane DaltonThursday 04 December 2025 03:55 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?
Kremlin 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 00:00Father of man accused of spying for Russia says arrest ‘hard to take in’
The father of a British man arrested in Kyiv and accused of spying for Russia has said the news is “hard to take in”.
Ross David Cutmore is alleged to have been recruited by Russia’s FSB security service and to have passed sensitive information to Russian authorities in exchange for money.
According to Ukrainian officials, he transmitted “the co-ordinates of Ukrainian units, photographs of the training area, and information regarding military personnel that could be used to identify them”.
Father of man accused of spying for Russia says arrest ‘hard to take in’
Ross David Cutmore was arrested in Kyiv in October and is accused of providing military information to Russia in exchange for money.Maryam Zakir-Hussain3 December 2025 23:30Trump aides 'strongly' believe Putin wants a deal, president says
US president Donald Trump has said his aides believe Vladimir Putin is keen to end the war in Ukraine.
“He would like to end the war — that was their impression," Trump said Wednesday of special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner. "Their impression was very strongly that he'd like to make a deal."
It comes after Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner failed to reach a peace agreement with the Russian leader in Moscow.
(AFP via Getty Images)Nicole Wootton-Cane3 December 2025 23:03Turkey says attacks on vessels in Black Sea 'very scary', impact safety and commerce
Turkey's foreign minister said on Wednesday that recent attacks on Russia-linked tankers within Turkey's exclusive econmic zone in the Black Sea were "very scary" and impacted navigational safety and commerce in the region.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who discussed the issue during a NATO meeting in Brussels earlier, told Turkish media after his meetings that Black Sea littoral states such as Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria were weighing measures to avoid similar incidents.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain3 December 2025 23:00Newer1 / 4OlderMore about
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