The White House has defended its decision to not include Russia on its expansive list of countries that will face major new tariffs starting today.
US sanctions on Moscow already “preclude any meaningful trade”, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios on Wednesday. At the same time, war-hit Ukraine is facing 10 per cent tariffs from the US administration.
It comes as Vladimir Putin’s top negotiator, Kirill Dmitriev, held meetings in Washington with US officials. After arrival, the Kyiv-born and US-educated envoy said that unnamed forces were trying to stir tension between Washington and Moscow
Meanwhile, Russian military bloggers have claimed that hundreds of Ukrainian troops have sought shelter from Moscow’s advancing forces in a Kursk monastery.
Moscow’s troops continue to wage fierce battles in the western Kursk region against Ukrainian forces, in a push to rout them from Kyiv's last major foothold in the Russian territory seized last August.
Mash, a Telegram channel close to Russia's security services, said more than 300 soldiers were hunkering down in the Gornalsky St Nicholas Belogorsky monastery, as Kyiv looks to organise its defence on the highlands around Gornal.
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Key Points
- White House defends decision not to put tariffs on Russia
- Ukrainian troops sheltering in Kursk monastery - Russian bloggers
- US committed to Nato but Europe must boost defence spending - Rubio
- Unnamed forces want to sow discord between Russia and US, says Putin envoy
- Putin envoy makes rare Washington visit - how did it play out?
US and Russia make 'significant progress' toward Ukraine ceasefire, says Kremlin envoy
04:45
,
Namita Singh
The United States and Russia have made major strides toward reaching a ceasefire in Ukraine, a senior Kremlin envoy has said following high-level meetings in Washington.
Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian negotiator and head of the state-run Russian Direct Investment Fund, announced that “significant progress has been made on the ceasefire agreement in Ukraine,” according to comments reported by Russian state media.
Mr Dmitriev held talks with officials from the administration of former US president Donald Trump over two days, on 2 and 3 April, representing Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Praising what he described as a constructive and respectful dialogue, Mr Dmitriev said both nations were working to revive diplomatic and economic ties, reported Tass.
He also claimed that American firms were showing interest in returning to Russia to occupy the market space left by European businesses that exited following the invasion of Ukraine.
“US companies are ready to occupy the niches left by European companies that left the Russian Federation,” he was quoted as saying.
Among other issues discussed were cooperation in the Arctic and joint ventures on rare earth metals. Talks also touched on the potential resumption of direct flights between the two countries, according to Mr Dmitriev.
While details of the proposed ceasefire have not been made public, the Kremlin envoy said the Trump administration “is listening to the position of the Russian Federation” and that a date for the next round of negotiations would be determined “in the near future.”
Ukraine expands troop base as US general warns against aid cuts
04:23
,
Namita Singh
Ukraine has addressed some of its manpower shortages in the fight against Russia by broadening its recruitment base, a senior US military official has said.
General Christopher Cavoli, who leads the US European Command and serves as Nato's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told American lawmakers that Kyiv had taken steps to replenish its ranks.
He warned, however, that any halt in US support, particularly in weaponry and intelligence, would have a devastating effect on Ukraine’s battlefield capabilities.
Testifying before the US Senate on Thursday, General Cavoli stressed the critical role of American-supplied advanced weapon systems. He noted that Ukraine remains heavily reliant on Washington for larger anti-aircraft and missile defence platforms.
“If the Ukrainians were not able to receive intelligence from us, they would struggle to target, especially in-depth operational level targets such as command posts, logistics areas and things like that,” he told senators.
He said Ukrainian forces were maintaining control of territory in Russia’s Kursk region and that Moscow had lost around 4,000 tanks since the start of the invasion – almost equivalent to the total tank fleet of the United States.
Trial of former Russian minister ‘not about Vladimir Putin’, jurors told
03:56
,
Namita Singh
The trial of a former Russian minister accused of breaching sanctions in the UK is "not about Vladimir Putin" or the war in Ukraine, jurors have been told.
Dmitrii Ovsiannikov, 48, the former mayor of Sevastopol in illegally annexed Crimea, is facing seven counts of circumventing sanctions between February 2023 and January 2024.
He is said to have deliberately avoided sanctions by opening a Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) account on or before February 2023 and having tens of thousands of pounds transferred to it by his wife, Ekaterina Ovsiannikova, who is facing four counts of breaching sanctions by assisting with the payments totalling £76,000.
During closing arguments yesterday at Southwark Crown Court, his defence barrister, Rosemary Davidson, told jurors that the case is not about the war in Ukraine or Ovsiannikov's work as governor of Sevastopol.
Report:
Foreign secretary says Putin obfuscating on peace
03:00
,
Jane Dalton
The Foreign Secretary has accused Russia's Vladimir Putin of "dragging out and obfuscating" efforts to find a peace deal to end the war.
David Lammy called on the UK’s Nato counterparts to increase pressure on Russia and stressed the need for Europeans to step up spending on defence to be "fairer" to the US.
Mr Lammy said: "Russia continues to rain down bombs on Ukrainian families, on Ukrainian armed soldiers and, of course, on Ukraine's infrastructure.
"And they are dragging out and obfuscating all efforts to negotiate.
“Putin – we see you, and it's hugely important that Nato allies come together to place more economic pressure on Russia so that they respond and are responsive to the negotiation attempts that President Trump has set out."
Ukraine gains more troops by widening recruiting pool – US army chief
02:30
,
Jane Dalton
Ukraine appears to have resolved some of its shortages of troops fighting Russia, including by widening the pool of eligible recruits, the top US general in Europe says.
US Army General Christopher Cavoli also stressed that any US cutoff in provision of weapons and intelligence to Ukraine would be extremely harmful to its war effort, despite Kyiv's attempts to diversify its weapons suppliers.
Donald Trump temporarily cut off some assistance to Ukraine after an Oval Office blow-up with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, in which vice-president JD Vance complained about Kyiv's manpower shortages and Mr Trump said Zelenskiy didn't "have the cards" to end the war without US backing.
Russia returns 11 more Ukrainian children and pregnant woman
02:00
,
Jane Dalton
At least 11 more Ukrainian children have been brought home from parts of Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine where they had been taken without permission, Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff said.
Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff, wrote on his Telegram channel: "Within the framework of the president of Ukraine's Bring Kids Back UA initiative, another 11 Ukrainian children were brought back from temporarily occupied areas (of Ukraine) and the territory of the Russian Federation.”
Among the children, Mr Yermak said, were brothers aged 10 and 12 whose father died after being tortured for expressing pro-Ukrainian views.
Also brought home, Mr Yermak wrote, was a pregnant mother who had been prevented from leaving occupied Ukraine because she had refused to take out Russian identity papers, and her two-year-old toddler.
The mother gave birth to another child in Ukrainian-held territory.
Mr Yermak thanked the office of Ukraine's ombudsman for its help in arranging the return of the children.
Russia has not issued a statement on returning Ukrainian citizens.
Analysis: As Russia is spared tariffs, is Trump playing into Putin’s hands?
01:30
,
Jane Dalton
Watch: Firefighters tackle blaze after Russian strike
Friday 4 April 2025 00:30
,
Jane Dalton
Analysis: Trump ‘anger’ at Putin is play acting
Thursday 3 April 2025 23:59
,
Jane Dalton
In case you missed it:
Zelensky thanks troops who diverted Russian forces
Thursday 3 April 2025 23:30
,
Jane Dalton
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has paid tribute to his soldiers in the Sumy area in the northeast of the country, who, he said, had succeeded in forcing Russia to divert significant forces from other directions, “weakening the pressure there”.
Our defenders in the Sumy region are the true shield of northern Ukraine. Since August, they have been holding back Russian and North Korean forces and disrupting their plans.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 3, 2025
Their actions have forced Russia to divert significant forces from other directions, weakening the… pic.twitter.com/uvgNLAwNJG
Drone attack injures children
Thursday 3 April 2025 23:00
,
Jane Dalton
A Russian drone attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, has struck an apartment building and triggered a large fire, with injuries reported, the city's mayor said.
The mayor, Ihor Terekhov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said children were among the injured.
Kharkiv has been subject to nearly nightly Russian drone attacks in the past week.
Sam Kiley: Ukraine’s pioneering work with ketamine therapy taking soldiers to Valhalla on earth
Thursday 3 April 2025 22:30
,
Alex Croft
Elton John's Aids charity placed on Moscow's 'undesirable' list
Thursday 3 April 2025 22:00
,
Alex Croft
Russia has placed Elton John’s charity focussing on HIV/AIDS prevention on its list of “undesirable organisations”, the prosecutor general’s office said on Thursday.
The office derided what it described as the charity’s “promotion of non-traditional sexual relations”.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation, launched in 1992, works in over 90 countries "to increase access to health care, tackle LGBTQ+ stigma, and end AIDS”.
The foundation, established by the singer and songwriter, has previously clashed with Russian authorities over LGBTQ+ rights. Sir Elton, who has performed in Russia, has criticised what he views as discrimination against gay people by the Russian government.
In the statement by Russian prosecutors, they said the charity is "focused on the promotion of non-traditional sexual relations, Western family models, and gender reassignment."
Ukraine tells US Russia violating energy ceasefire
Thursday 3 April 2025 21:30
,
Jane Dalton
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha says he has told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Russia has violated a ceasefire involving energy sites.
Mr Sybiha wrote on social media: "Ukraine is fully committed to peace and has taken concrete unconditional steps to achieve it, whereas Russia continues to drag its feet.
"I also informed my counterpart about Russia’s recent violations of the energy ceasefire."
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of failing to observe the US-brokered ceasefire.
Mr Sybiha also repeated Ukraine's interest in developing mineral resource cooperation with the United States.
Mapped: Russian advances in the Donetsk region slow down as Ukrainian troops launch counterattacks
Thursday 3 April 2025 20:59
,
Alex Croft
Russia not surprised by Trump tariff threats, says Moscow
Thursday 3 April 2025 20:27
,
Alex Croft
Russia is not surprised by Donald Trump’s threats to impose new tariffs on Russian oil, deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has said, despite not doing so during Wednesday’s announcement of sweeping global tariffs.
There might not be a peace agreement on the war in Ukraine unless the US recognised what Mr Ryabkov said was the "belligerent" stance of the European Union and Ukraine, he said according to Russian state news agency TASS.
Trump's Ukraine envoy says Russia and Ukraine nearing ceasefire
Thursday 3 April 2025 19:52
,
Alex Croft
Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, has said the US aims to secure a full ceasefire in the ongoing war soon.
Talking to Fox News, Mr Kellogg said Ukraine and Russia are already approaching a point of ceasefire but both sides will need to make compromises.
"Neither side is going to get everything they want," he said.
"I know [Trump's] frustrated with both Zelensky and Putin as well, but we’re going to get there, and I think what you have to do is stay really on focus, on point, to get where you want to go with the ceasefire. Because what we want to have is a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire. Once you get there, it’s gonna be really hard to restart the war again. That’s what I believe," Mr Kellogg told Fox News last night.
Russia continues to use ammunition with banned chemical agents
Thursday 3 April 2025 19:22
,
Alex Croft
Russian forces in Ukraine continue to use ammunition equipped with chemical agents prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Ukrainian military has said.
Ukrainian forces recorded 767 cases in March of Russian forces using regulated K-51 and RG-VO grenade launchers to launch munitions containing chemical agents and ammunition containing unspecified hazardous chemicals that are banned under the CWC, the military said.
They also reported that Russian forces had used banned chemical agents a total of 7,730 times since February 2023.
In pictures: Firefighters battle blaze after Russian attack on Kryvyi Rih kills four
Thursday 3 April 2025 18:50
,
Alex Croft
Former MI6 chief and Rusi boss discuss Russia, Trump and the future of the West – how to watch our panel
Thursday 3 April 2025 18:21
,
Alex Croft
Mark your calendars for 8am on 4 April as The Independent launches The Conversation, a new series where our top journalists sit down with world-leading experts to dissect the biggest issues shaping our times.
In the premier episode, world affairs editor Sam Kiley is joined by Alex Younger, the former chief of MI6, Britain’s secret intelligence service, and leading security strategist Rachel Ellehuus, director-general of The Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) and former Pentagon official with expertise in Nato and transatlantic defence.
Russia returns 11 more Ukrainian children and a pregnant woman
Thursday 3 April 2025 17:49
,
Alex Croft
At least 11 more Ukrainian children have been brought home from parts of Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine where they had been taken without permission, Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff said yesterday.
"Today we have one more piece of good news," Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff, wrote on his Telegram channel.
"Within the framework of the president of Ukraine's Bring Kids Back UA initiative, another 11 Ukrainian children were brought back from temporarily occupied areas (of Ukraine) and the territory of the Russian Federation," he said.
Among the children, Mr Yermak said, were brothers aged 10 and 12 whose father died after being tortured for expressing pro-Ukrainian views.
Also brought home, Mr Yermak wrote, was a pregnant mother who had been prevented from leaving occupied Ukraine because she had refused to take out Russian identity papers, and her two-year-old toddler.
The mother gave birth to another child in Ukrainian-held territory.
Mr Yermak thanked the office of Ukraine's ombudsman for its help in arranging the return of the children.
Russia has not issued a statement on returning Ukrainian citizens.
ICYMI: Russia violating ceasefire - Ukraine hands dossier of evidence to US
Thursday 3 April 2025 17:17
,
Alex Croft
Deputy Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Ihor Brusylo, spoke on national television to say they have handed evidence to the US about Russia violating a ceasefire in Ukraine.
"The energy ceasefire... which Ukraine and the United States agreed upon, was violated by the Russian side. All the necessary information was transferred to the American side. I think the reaction will not be long in coming, because even American partners who were diplomatically disposed towards the possibility of ensuring such a ceasefire are running out of patience," he said.
According to the official, all evidence confirms that Russia is not interested in a ceasefire or in bringing the war to an end.
"I hope international partners will not delay anything, and more resolute measures will still be taken against the aggressor state, which pursues its insidious policy despite the agreements reached during the negotiations," Brusylo stressed.
'Russia wants to continue fighting' - Putin biographer
Thursday 3 April 2025 16:44
,
Alex Croft
Rebekah Koffler, a former DIA intelligence officer who specializes in Russia’s war strategy, told Fox News that Putin’s goal with his latest conscription drive is to prolong the war.
"There’s no ceasefire and no peace plan between Russia and Ukraine to be had," said Koffler, the author of a best-selling book "Putin’s Playbook."
"What President Trump seeks is regretfully, unachievable. Putin's goal is to keep fighting, in order to compel Ukraine to capitulate.
"Now that Germany and France are considering to deploy reassurance forces into Ukraine, Putin is factoring in those numbers, so he is increasing his force's posture, to deter such a deployment or failing to prevent it by force."
Elton John's Aids charity placed on Moscow's 'undesirable' list
Thursday 3 April 2025 16:16
,
Alex Croft
Russia has placed Elton John’s charity focussing on HIV/AIDS prevention on its list of “undesirable organisations”, the prosecutor general’s office said on Thursday.
The office derided what it described as the charity’s “promotion of non-traditional sexual relations”.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation, launched in 1992, works in over 90 countries "to increase access to health care, tackle LGBTQ+ stigma, and end AIDS”.
The foundation, established by the singer and songwriter, has previously clashed with Russian authorities over LGBTQ+ rights. Sir Elton, who has performed in Russia, has criticised what he views as discrimination against gay people by the Russian government.
In the statement by Russian prosecutors, they said the charity is "focused on the promotion of non-traditional sexual relations, Western family models, and gender reassignment."
Ukrainian troops sheltering in Kursk monastery - Russian bloggers
Thursday 3 April 2025 15:47
,
Alex Croft
Hundreds of Ukrainian troops have sought shelter in a monastery in Kursk, a Russian Telegram channel has claimed.
Moscow’s troops continue to wage fierce battles in the western Kursk region against Ukrainian forces, in a push to rout them from Kyiv's last major foothold in the Russian territory seized last August, war bloggers have said.
Kyiv now just holds a narrow sliver of Kursk, Ukrainian battlefield map DeepState shows.
Mash, a Telegram channel close to Russia's security services, said more than 300 soldiers were hunkering down in the Gornalsky St. Nicholas Belogorsky monastery, as Kyiv looks to organise its defence on the highlands around Gornal.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine and Reuters could not independently verify the reports. The monastery's Telegram channel made no mention of military operations in the area.
Mash said there was an underground passage beneath the monastery "through which the Ukrainian Armed Forces are evacuating and delivering ammunition for long-term defence."
The SHOT Telegram channel also said Ukraine was pulling reserves into Gornal via the monastery's passageway.
Roman Alekhin, whose Telegram channel has over 180,000 subscribers, said Ukraine will try to hold onto the high ground around Gornal "with all their might, regardless of losses."
Ukraine denies Russian accusations of energy infrastructure attacks
Thursday 3 April 2025 15:45
,
Alex Croft
Ukraine has denied Russian accusations of attacks on energy infrastructure, describing Moscow’s claims as false.
Russia’s defence ministry earlier. accused Ukraine of attacking Russian energy facilities four times in the past 24 hours despite a US-brokered halt on striking each other’s energy infrastructure.
But Kyiv said it’s troops have adhered to the ceasefire, accusing the Russian army of breaching it itself.
"At the same time, numerous violations of the agreements by the Russian army have been recorded," Ukraine’s general staff said on Telegram.
Mapped: Russian advances in the Donetsk region slow down as Ukrainian troops launch counterattacks
Thursday 3 April 2025 15:19
,
Alex Croft
Poland wants to spent 5% GDP on defence next year, says foreign minister
Thursday 3 April 2025 14:54
,
Alex Croft
Poland wants to spend five per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence in 2026, defence minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Thursday.
Spurred on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Poland now spends a higher proportion of GDP on defence than any other Nato member, including the US. It plans to hit 4.7 per cent GDP of spending this year.
During the Nato summit, ministers discussed a ‘White Paper for European Defence Readiness 2030’, aimed at outlining a new defence strategy, and providing a framework for the European rearming surge.
"All ministers... emphasized the importance of this document, the White Paper," Mr Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters.
"We must be ready for the most difficult scenarios and we must be strong enough to prevent war from breaking out... This is an action to make us so strong that it would not be profitable for any country to attack the European Union or NATO."
Pictured: Nato foreign minister's gather with secretary-general Mark Rutte for picture in Brussels
Thursday 3 April 2025 14:37
,
Alex Croft
Russia-US dialogue is essential, says Putin envoy
Thursday 3 April 2025 14:24
,
Alex Croft
Vladimir Putin’s international envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who is currently visiting Washington, has said dialogue between Russia and the US is “essential” for global peace.
“Holding key Russia-US meetings in Washington, D.C. on April 2–3,” Mr Dmitriev wrote on X.
“Open, productive dialogue between Russia and the U.S. isn’t optional — it’s essential. Global stability and peace depend on it,” he added.
Holding key meetings in Washington, D.C. on April 2–3.
— Kirill A. Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) April 3, 2025
Open, productive dialogue between Russia and the U.S. isn’t optional — it’s essential.
Global stability and peace depend on it. #Diplomacy #USRussia #Russia #USA #Putin #Trump
Sam Kiley: Ukraine’s pioneering work with ketamine therapy taking soldiers to Valhalla on earth
Thursday 3 April 2025 14:12
,
Alex Croft
Ammo drive for Ukraine will continue until earliest September, says Czech FM
Thursday 3 April 2025 13:57
,
Alex Croft
The Czech-led drive to supply Ukraine with artillery ammunition will be continue being financed until earliest September, the country’s foreign minister has said.
Speaking on Thursday before a Nato meeting, Jan Lipavsky told Czech TV that the initiative had received new financing from Canada, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands.
Bulgarian government defeats pro-Russian vote of no-confidence
Thursday 3 April 2025 13:50
,
Alex Croft
Bulgaria’s government has survived a parliamentary vote of no-confidence brought by a pro-Russian political party, over what it described as a failure in the nation’s foreign policy.
The Vazrazhdane party, backed by two small nationalist groups, had brought a motion critical of the government’s support of Ukraine, sanctions on Russia and general pro-Western stance.
But the ruling coalition, led by the centre-right GERB party, defeated the motion by a comfortable 150-54 margin in the 240-seat parliament.
"For Vazrazhdane, the vote is a tool to amplify Russian narratives in the hybrid war against Bulgaria — a war Moscow wages with disinformation and subversive political tactics," political analyst Ilian Vassilev said.
GERB condemned the no-confidence motion as an attempt to derail Bulgaria's desire to adopt the euro currency at the beginning of 2026, which would consolidate its European integration.
Pictured: Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov speaks meets African countries in Moscow
Thursday 3 April 2025 13:30
,
Alex Croft
On the ground | The illegal party drug helping Ukraine’s traumatised soldiers live again
Thursday 3 April 2025 13:21
,
Alex Croft
World affairs editor Sam Kiley reports from Ukraine:
Katya’s brain was swollen. She had been blown up so many times she had hernias on her spine. Her whole skeleton was twisted and distorted after being thrown about like a doll.
She often stuttered. She had an explosive temper after years as a special forces medic. But things got better when she went to “Valhalla”.
She didn’t take the usual route to the Viking Hall of Heroes, where she undoubtedly belongs, by being killed on a Ukrainian battlefield. Instead she hitched a hallucinogenic ride.
On ketamine.
Nato will boost defence spending, says German foreign minister
Thursday 3 April 2025 13:04
,
Alex Croft
Nato will boost defence spending to strengthen European security, outgoing German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said in Brussels.
Speaking at a meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers, Ms Baerbock added: "We as NATO partners in their entirety will further expand the pillar of European security - 800 billion euros ($888.32 billion) over four years will be strengthening our own security.”
Russia takes control of two villages in eastern Ukraine, says Moscow
Thursday 3 April 2025 12:50
,
Alex Croft
Russian troops have taken control of the settlements of Vesele and Lobkove in eastern Ukraine, Russia's Defence Ministry claimed on Thursday.
Authoritative Ukrainian battlefield map DeepState does not yet show the village as being under Russian control - but it’s latest update was on Wednesday.
Russia says Ukraine has struck energy infrastructure four times in 24 hours
Thursday 3 April 2025 12:35
,
Alex Croft
Moscow has accused Ukraine of attacking Russian energy facilities four times in the past 24 hours despite a moratorium on striking each other's energy infrastructure.
Ukraine has also accused Russia of repeatedly breaching the halt on such strikes.
The battlefield reports have not been independently verified.
US committed to Nato but Europe must boost defence spending - Rubio
Thursday 3 April 2025 12:05
,
Alex Croft
The US is as committed to the Nato as it has always been, secretary of state Marco Rubio said during a visit to Brussels on Thursday.
Speaking as he met fellow Nato foreign ministers in the Belgian capital, Mr Rubio hoped to dispel doubts about Washington’s commitment to the military alliance after the Trump administration has expressed concerns about its efficacy.
"The United States is in NATO... The United States is as active in NATO as it has ever been," Mr Rubio told reporters, dismissing doubts about that commitment as "hysteria".
He added that Donald Trump was "not against NATO. He is against a NATO that does not have the capabilities that it needs to fulfill the obligations that the treaty imposes upon each and every member state."
Mr Rubio said the US delegation had arrived in Brussels with the hope of ensuring a pathway to see “every single one of the members committing and fulfilling a promise to reach up to 5% of spending”.
France or UK should speak directly with Russia, says Finland president
Thursday 3 April 2025 12:19
,
Alex Croft
France or the UK should speak directly with Russia about its peacekeeping plans in Ukraine, Finland’s president Alexander Stubb has said.
At least one country from the so-called coalition of the willing, the group of countries willing to engage in peacekeeping efforts in the war-torn country, should speak with Moscow, Mr Stubb said.
