Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Aug. 1 that he hopes peace talks between Russia and Ukraine will continue, though he touted Moscow’s progress in the ongoing conflict, signaling no change in policy despite a looming U.S. sanctions deadline.
Putin spoke to reporters at a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in northern Russia. U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday gave the Russian leader 10 days to agree to a cease-fire deal with Ukraine or face a fresh round of sanctions.
Trump had previously given Putin 50 days to agree on a deal with Kyiv and warned of stringent economic consequences against Russia if it failed to reach an agreement to end the more than three-year war….