US postpones talks with Russia
The US has postponed bilateral consultations with Moscow aimed at easing tensions and restoring diplomatic missions, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced on Monday.
Earlier this year, Russia and the US held two rounds of high-level talks, the first on February 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the second on February 27 in Istanbul, Türkiye. These discussions marked the first major direct talks since the deterioration of relations following the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine. The agenda included mutual restoration of embassy operations, easing visa issuance, addressing the Ukraine conflict, and exploring potential post-conflict economic cooperation.
The next round of talks was to take place in Moscow. However, according to Zakharova, this meeting was canceled at the initiative of the American negotiators. In a statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's Telegram channel, she stated, 'As of today, the next meeting within the framework of bilateral consultations on eliminating 'irritants' to normalize the operation of diplomatic missions of both countries has been canceled at the initiative of the American negotiators.'
She did not disclose the reason Washington's gave for postponing the meetings, adding only that Moscow hopes that 'the pause they have taken will not last too long.'
Since taking office earlier this year, US President Donald Trump has made efforts to reestablish contact with Moscow, which had been largely severed under his predecessor, Joe Biden. Russian officials have welcomed the shift, also expressing readiness to normalize bilateral relations.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
44 minutes ago
- Russia Today
Iran slams Trump over ‘disrespect'
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused US President Donald Trump of showing disrespect to the country's leadership, warning that his barbs undermine any potential for renewed negotiations. In a statement posted on Saturday, Araghchi said that if Trump is sincere about pursuing a nuclear deal with Iran, he must 'put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and stop hurting his millions of heartfelt followers.' Araghchi further warned that Iran would not tolerate threats and insults, asserting: 'If illusions lead to worse mistakes, Iran will not hesitate to unveil its real capabilities, which will certainly end any delusion about the power of Iran.' The foreign minister added that as a result of Iran's recent standoff with Israel, the latter 'had NO CHOICE but to RUN to 'Daddy' to avoid being flattened by our missiles.' His comments came in response to Trump's claim that he had 'saved [Khamenei] from a very ugly and ignominious death.' He also accused the Iranian leader of 'blatantly and foolishly' lying about prevailing in the conflict with Israel. On top of that, the US leader warned Iran that he would 'absolutely' bomb the country again if he decides that Tehran is developing nuclear weapons. The war of words followed a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran that began on June 13 when Israel launched a series of strikes targeting Iran's nuclear sites and top military leadership, triggering a wave of retaliatory attacks by Tehran. The US joined the hostilities on June 22, deploying heavy bombers against key Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump has since said that the nuclear sites have been 'completely obliterated,' although several media reports have disputed this assessment. While a ceasefire has since been reached, Iran has dismissed the notion of immediately returning to negotiations. The key stumbling block remains the US demand that Iran completely refrain from uranium enrichment, which Tehran has dismissed as a deal-breaker. Iran maintains it does not seek nuclear weapons and insists the country's nuclear program is solely for peaceful energy purposes.
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Zelensky is ‘politically dead' – Russia's top UN diplomat
Ukraine's 'expired' leader Vladimir Zelensky is 'politically dead' and refuses to step down to avoid accountability for his actions, Russian UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia has told RT's Rick Sanchez. In an interview on Sanchez Effect aired on Friday, Nebenzia accused Zelensky of betraying the promises that brought him to power and dragging Ukraine into a wider conflict. He referenced Zelensky's campaign pledge to end the fighting in Donbass, which the Kiev regime and its Western backers derailed by violating the 2014-15 Minsk agreements. 'Zelensky came to power on the promise to end the war in Donbass... He promised one thing, but he turned 180 degrees… Politically, Zelensky is already dead,' Nebenzia stated. Nebenzia said Zelensky is holding on to power to avoid the consequences of prolonging the conflict with Russia and misusing Western funds provided as aid. 'The end of his presidency may entail something for him that he is trying to avoid at all costs: Reporting on the money stolen and the loss of the people whom he failed miserably,' Nebenzia stated. 'So he has all the reasons... to cling to power and not to hold elections.' Ukrainians are our brothers, no doubt about it. But the clique that came to rule them – it is a regime, it is not a government. 'They stole billions of dollars out of the aid they were receiving. That's an open secret,' he said, adding that Kiev has already been asked to report on the aid but has failed to do so. 'I think that when finally it comes to it, the revelations will be very dire.' Zelensky has remained in office since his term expired in May, suspending elections due to martial law. He insists that he has the right to remain in office, though the constitution stipulates that presidential duties should pass to the parliament speaker. Russia has said it is open to talks with Ukraine but questions the legality of any deals made with the current government in Kiev. President Vladimir Putin recently said he would meet with Zelensky but called into question his authority to sign a treaty, as 'the signature must come from legitimate authorities, otherwise, whoever comes after [Zelensky] will toss it to the dumpster.'
Russia Today
10 hours ago
- Russia Today
Putin respects US once again
US President Donald Trump has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has regained respect for America, whose international standing was damaged by the previous administration. Trump was responding to comments made by Putin during his visit to Belarus on Friday, where the Russian leader described the US president as a 'courageous man.' 'Vladimir Putin made some very nice statements today,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that such remarks would have been impossible under former President Joe Biden. 'He respects our country again. He didn't respect it a year ago, I can tell you that,' Trump said, claiming that Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also now respect the US since his return to the White House. 'We had a president that was incompetent. We had bad people circulating around this desk – this beautiful, resolute desk. They had, I guess, evil intentions,' Trump said. He has repeatedly described his predecessor's foreign policy as weak and damaging to America's global reputation, arguing that the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza would not have erupted under his leadership. Speaking to reporters in Minsk, Putin said he holds 'deep respect' for Trump and praised him for overcoming numerous challenges, including surviving an assassination attempt last year. He added that he believes Trump has been 'sincerely seeking' to help broker an end to the Ukraine conflict. Trump has revived direct contacts with Moscow, which were cut off during the Biden administration, and has held five phone calls with Putin since returning to office in January.
