Russia says US not 'objective mediator' in Ukraine

MOSCOW, Jun 23: Russia on Tuesday said the United States was no longer an "objective mediator" in its efforts to broker an end to the Ukraine war as it blasted Europe's plans to bolster defence spending.
US-led talks on ending Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II remain effectively frozen as President Donald Trump has shifted his attention towards the Middle East after ordering strikes on Iran in late February.
"As for the United States, judging by their actions, they appear to be abandoning any claim to the role of an objective mediator and are instead pursuing a course of escalating sanctions pressure on Russia," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told foreign envoys in Moscow on Tuesday.
At the G7 summit in France earlier this month, leaders -- including Trump -- agreed to increase pressure on the Russian "war economy" by strengthening sanctions, including on energy.�"AFP