The US has slapped Russia with more sanctions and accused the Russians of a lack of commitment towards ending the war in Ukraine.
The new sanctions — on two of Russia’s largest oil companies — were unveiled one day after plans for a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin fell apart.
Mr Trump said he cancelled the meeting because “it didn’t feel right to me.”
The move marked a sharp turnaround for the White House, which has veered towards pressuring Moscow to secure peace.
Only last week, Mr Trump appeared ready to hold off on new actions targeting Moscow.
“Now is the time to stop the killing and for an immediate ceasefire,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
Oil prices extended gains after Mr Bessent’s comments, rising by more than US$2 ($3) a barrel.
However, on Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the US still wishes to meet with Russia.
Overnight missile attacks
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Mr Trump’s call for Ukraine and Russia to stop at the present front lines was “a good compromise”.
But Mr Zelenskyy said he doubted that Mr Putin would support it.
Over the past two days, Russia and Ukraine pounded each other with heavy overnight missile attacks.
A Ukrainian resident follow a Russian drone and missile strike in Kyiv overnight. (Reuters: Alina Smutko)
Russian drone attacks in different parts of Ukraine have killed six people, including two children.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said drones had damaged several residential buildings, including a kindergarten.
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Peace efforts stall
For months, Mr Trump has resisted pressure from US lawmakers to impose energy sanctions, hoping that Mr Putin would agree to end the fighting.
But the US president said that he was still not ready to provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles, which Kyiv has requested.
Talking to reporters as he met NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Mr Trump said it would take the Ukrainians at least six months to learn how to use them.
Ahead of a meeting next week with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, Mr Trump said he would like to see Xi use his influence on Mr Putin to halt the fighting.
Zelenskyy offers drones for US Tomahawks
Mr Xi and Mr Putin have formed a strategic alliance between their countries.
In a fresh show of force, the Kremlin released a video showing General Valery Gerasimov, head of the General Staff, reporting to Mr Putin on the drills.
Russia said it fired missiles from ground launchers, submarines and aircraft, including intercontinental ballistic weapons capable of striking the US.
At key moments in the war in Ukraine, Mr Putin has issued reminders of Russia’s nuclear might as a warning to Kyiv and its Western allies.
NATO has also been conducting nuclear deterrence exercises this month.
EU countries also approved a 19th package of sanctions against Russia for its war against Ukraine, which includes a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas imports, the Danish rotating presidency of the EU said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has doubts Russia will stop at the current front lines. (Reuters: Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency)
On Wednesday, Sweden said it had signed a letter of intent to export Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine, as European governments act to boost Kyiv’s defences in a war.
The summit delay came after Russia reiterated to the US its previous terms for reaching a peace deal, including that Ukraine cede control of the whole of the south-eastern Donbas region.
That amounted to a rejection of Mr Trump’s statement last week that both sides should stop at the current front lines.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by state news agency RIA as saying he could not confirm that Moscow had announced its position.
AP/Reuters
