Russia says it 'cannot accept' US proposals on Ukraine 'in their current form'
Russia cannot accept the US proposals to end the war in Ukraine in their current form because they do not address the problems that Moscow says caused the conflict, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said, suggesting that US-Russian talks on the issue have stalled.
UK, Germany take over Ukraine arms aid talks from US, uncertainty over future meetings
The United Kingdom will take on joint responsibility with Germany for the periodic consultations on military aid to Ukraine. Until US President Donald Trump took office, the United States led these meetings. It is now uncertain whether the US will even attend the consultations of around fifty allies of Ukraine next week.
The British defence minister took over the chairmanship of the so-called Defence Contact Group for Ukraine (UDCG) from the US in February. That did not necessarily mean that the Americans were giving up that role for good, it was said at the time. It would fit in with the American aim of having European allies pay more for their own defence and aid to Ukraine, NATO sources say.
The UK will share the chair of the next meeting of the UDCG on Friday 11 April at NATO headquarters in Brussels with Germany, both countries say. It is not yet clear whether US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will attend, a NATO diplomat says.
The UDCG started almost three years ago, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The US brought together supporters at its main military base in Europe, in Ramstein, Germany, to periodically collect and coordinate weapons for Ukraine.
