New attempts at contacts between the United States and Russia to find an agreement on the ceasefire in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov today described Vladimir Putin's proposal for a three-day ceasefire, from May 8 to 10 , as " a start of direct negotiations " with Kiev but "without preconditions."

“A precondition” was instead defined as the Ukrainian proposal for a truce of at least 30 days, which came yesterday from Lavrov’s counterpart, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga. “If Russia really wants peace,” Sybiga said, “it should cease fire immediately. Why wait until May 8? If the war could be stopped now and the truce maintained for 30 days, it would be a real step forward, not just a gesture for a parade.”

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated that the United States will end its mediation on the conflict unless "concrete proposals" arrive from Russia and Ukraine, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.

(Online Union)

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