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Moscow says peace talks frozen as Zelensky warns Putin wants all of Ukraine / Photo: Tetiana DZHAFAROVA - AFP
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Moscow says peace talks frozen as Zelensky warns Putin wants all of Ukraine
Moscow said Friday that peace talks with Kyiv were on "pause" as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin still had plans to try to capture the whole of Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump warned meanwhile that he was fast running out of patience with Putin, who has shown no intention of halting or slowing his ground offensive or barrage of aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities.
The latest setback to the faltering diplomacy comes as Russia's army staged major military drills with its key ally Belarus, and as NATO said it planned to bolster forces on its eastern flank after Russian drones were downed over Poland this week.
Despite Trump forcing the warring sides to open peace talks and hosting Putin in Alaska, there has been no significant progress towards ending the three-and-a-half-year war, triggered by Russia's invasion.
Moscow's army is grinding forward on the battlefield and Putin has vowed to carry on fighting if his demands for peace -- including Ukraine ceding yet more land -- are not met.
"Our negotiators have the opportunity to communicate through channels. But for now, it is probably more accurate to talk about a pause" in talks with Kyiv, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"You can't wear rose-tinted glasses and expect that the negotiation process will yield immediate results," he added.
Speaking at a conference in Kyiv, Zelensky told the West not to trust Putin and said his maximalist ambitions had not changed.
"Putin's goal is to occupy all of Ukraine. And no matter what he tells anyone, it is clear that he has set the war machine in motion to such an extent that he simply cannot stop it unless he is forced to fundamentally change his personal goals," Zelensky said.
- Trump's patience 'running out' -
The Ukrainian leader also called on allies to encourage China to use its leverage with Russia to stop Moscow's offensive.
Trump has repeatedly threatened Moscow with additional sanctions if it does not halt the assault, but has failed to follow through, frustrating Kyiv.
"It's sort of running out and running out fast, but it does take two to tango," Trump told Fox television when asked if his patience was being taxed by Russia's refusal to end the conflict.
"It's amazing. When Putin wants to do it, Zelensky didn't. When Zelensky wanted to do it, Putin didn't. Now Zelensky wants to and Putin is a question mark. We're going to have to come down very, very strong," he added.
Ukraine has ruled out making territorial concessions in exchange for a deal, and is calling for a Putin-Zelensky summit to break the deadlock.
Putin has effectively ruled that out, and has threatened to target any Western soldiers that might be sent to Ukraine as peacekeepers without his approval.
Russia's invasion has killed tens of thousands of people in Ukraine, forced millions from their homes and devastated much of the country's east and south.
- Drone tensions -
Tensions are high across Europe after Poland said Wednesday that 19 Russian drones had flown through its airspace, three of which were downed after Warsaw and NATO allies scrambled fighter jets.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said it was not a "mistake" that the drones flew over his country, rejecting Trump's suggestion it could have been an accident.
He warned earlier this week that Warsaw was closer to "open conflict" than at any point since World War II over the incident.
Russia has denied targeting Poland and said the country had failed to present any evidence the downed drones were Russian.
Ratcheting up tensions, Russia and its close ally Belarus started major military drills on Friday, including exercises close to the border with Poland and Lithuania and in the Baltics and Barents seas.
Russia's defence ministry posted a video showing heavy military equipment -- including armoured vehicles, helicopters and navy ships -- taking part in the drills.
Both Moscow and Minsk have rejected accusations they pose a danger.
But Poland said around 40,000 troops would be stationed near the border with Belarus for the duration of the drills, while Lithuania and Latvia announced partial airspace closures.
NATO chief Mark Rutte said Friday that the alliance would reinforce its eastern flank following the intrusion of Russian drones in Polish airspace, with Denmark, France, Britain and Germany all contributing "assets" in the coming days.
A.Landry--SMC
