Russia showing no 'meaningful' interest in ending Ukraine war: Blinken
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that Russia has shown no real interest in ending the war in Ukraine, as President Vladimir Putin voiced hope for a speedy resolution.
Blinken said he spoke virtually Thursday with foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrialized democracies about ideas for a "just peace" proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a historic visit to Washington a day before.
Blinken called Zelensky's ideas "a good start" and that any peace needed to be "just and durable" -- and that the United States would not impose its own solutions on Ukraine.
"Fundamentally right now, Russia has shown no interest in meaningful diplomacy, in meaningfully engaging, to bring this war to an end," Blinken told a news conference.
He said Russia could immediately end the war by withdrawing troops, but "in the absence of that, we have to see some meaningful evidence that Russia is prepared to actually negotiate a just and durable peace."
"By just -- one that doesn't simply ratify another country seizing by force the territory of another," Blinken said.
"Durable -- in the sense that we want to make sure that it holds and that we're not simply putting Ukraine in a position where Russia is going to repeat what it did a month, six months, a year later."
Putin, who invaded Ukraine on February 24, earlier Thursday told reporters that he hoped the conflict ends "and the sooner, the better."
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