Russia stalls peace talks

Russia said on April 18 that restarting peace talks with Ukraine is “not our top priority,” signaling Moscow sees delay as part of its strategy. (yahoo.com) Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the comment at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, two months after the latest U.S.-mediated talks in Geneva on February 17-18. He said Russia had not “forced negotiations on anyone.” (interaffairs.ru) (usnews.com) Those Geneva meetings were the third round of trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States. Reuters reported the first day ran into a second day, but the sides were still split over territory and security guarantees. (usnews.com) (abcnews.go.com) The immediate fight is over what talks are for. Kyiv has pushed short-term ceasefires and a halt in strikes, while Moscow has kept linking any broader deal to unresolved terms on land, control and security arrangements. (usnews.com) (time.com) That gap was visible again on April 10, when Putin announced a 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire and Zelensky said Ukraine would honor it. Ukrainian officials then urged Russia to extend the pause and restart talks, but Reuters reported skepticism in both Kyiv and Moscow that the truce would last. (msn.com) (usnews.com) The negotiating track has been uneven since the start of 2026. Before Geneva, earlier U.S.-backed rounds in Abu Dhabi also ended without a settlement, even as Washington pressed both sides for movement before summer. (euronews.com) (kyivindependent.com) Ukraine has publicly accused Russia of using the process to buy time. On February 18, Time reported Zelensky said Moscow was trying to “drag out” negotiations that he said could have been closer to a final stage. (time.com) Russia’s line has been different: no deadlines, no rush, and no obligation to return to the table on anyone else’s schedule. Lavrov’s latest remarks in Antalya leave the diplomacy alive on paper, but waiting on terms neither side has accepted. (cbsnews.com) (interaffairs.ru)