‘Going nowhere fast’: Russia accuses US of stalling diplomatic efforts amid Ukraine war; Trump threatens new sanctions

The Kremlin on Thursday said that attempts to restore bilateral ties, including efforts to resume normal embassy operations with the United States have seen a slowdown. “So far, the process of normalizing (relations with the US) is going nowhere fast,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “We’d like to see a bit more movement [in the talks], since that’s what we’re interested in,” reported news agency AFP. Peskov suggested that Washington was falling short, stating that the talks need “initiative from both sides.” He added, "We would like to see more dynamics. We are interested in this. In order to move forward, we need impulses from both sides".The statement came a day after US Donald Trump expressed renewed frustration with Russia over its continued offensive in Ukraine.Trump criticized Putin for having “nice and respectful conversations” while still “launching rockets” at Ukrainian cities. He warned of additional sanctions and said secondary tariffs could be imposed if Russia fails to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine within 10 to 12 days.Peskov stated that the Kremlin had “taken into account” Trump’s latest ultimatum but chose not to comment on the possibility of new sanctions. He added that the war against Ukraine would proceed despite the threats from Washington, according to the Moscow Times.Senior Russian officials have previously accused the White House of delaying efforts to restore diplomatic relations, including settling ongoing issues related to embassies and consular access.Moscow is pushing for the return of six diplomatic properties seized by the US between 2016 and 2018 in response to alleged Russian interference in U.S. elections. It has also asked for “clearer answers” regarding its proposal to restart direct flights between Russia and the US.The Kremlin says US officials have linked the resumption of flights to progress on achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine. So far, Putin has rejected Trump’s attempts to negotiate a truce.