Talks Fail To Stop War, Russia Says Ceasefire Not Discussed

Kyiv Says Moscow Refused To Halt Firing For Aid, Let Civilians Leave

The highest-level talks between Russia and Ukraine since the start of the war failed to stop the fighting, with foreign minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia declaring on Thursday that a ceasefire was not even on the table at his meeting in Turkey with his Ukrainian counterpart. Russia’s war in Ukraine entered its third week with none of its stated objectives reached, despite thousands of people killed, over two million made refugees and thousands cowering in besieged cities under relentless bombardment.

After meeting Russia’s Lavrov in Turkey, Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said Lavrov had refused to promise to halt firing so aid could reach civilians, including Kyiv’s main humanitarian priority — evacuating hundreds of thousands of people trapped in the besieged port of Mariupol. “I made a simple proposal to Minister Lavrov: I can call my Ukrainian ministers, authorities, president now and give you 100% assurances on security guarantees for humanitarian corridors,” he said. “I asked him ‘can you do the same?’ and he did not respond”.