A senior Kremlin official has said reaching a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war is “too difficult to do quickly” as the United States tries to speed up peace efforts and expresses frustration at slow progress.
Meanwhile, at least 45 civilians were injured in an overnight Russian drone attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, officials said.
The United Nations has noted that the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine has increased significantly in recent weeks amid Washington's efforts to reach a peace deal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin supports calls for a ceasefire ahead of peace talks, “but before that happens, a number of issues need to be resolved and some nuances settled,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
He also added that Putin is ready for direct negotiations with Ukraine without preconditions to achieve peace.
“We understand that Washington is seeking rapid progress, but we hope for understanding that resolving the Ukrainian crisis is too complex for a quick solution,” Mr Peskov said.
“There are a lot of details and a lot of little nuances that need to be clarified before a settlement can be reached.”
US President Donald Trump has previously expressed frustration with the slow progress in talks aimed at ending the war, which he said he could end within the first 24 hours of his new administration in January.
Western European leaders have accused Putin of dragging his feet while his forces try to seize more Ukrainian territory.
Russia has seized nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory since Moscow's forces launched a full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
Mr Trump criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for actions he said were “prolonging” the “killing field”, while the US leader chided Mr Putin for complicating talks with “very bad timing” for deadly strikes on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
The US President has long called the war a waste of American taxpayers' money and lives lost in the conflict.
Senior US officials warn that the administration may abandon peace efforts if a solution cannot be found.
This could mean cutting off important military aid to Ukraine and tightening economic sanctions against Russia.
On Tuesday, the US State Department again tried to push both sides to take more active action.
“We are now in a situation where both sides need to present concrete proposals on how to end this conflict,” he said.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
