It's been confirmed: Russia is ready

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the Kremlin is "ready to reach an agreement" with the United States of America regarding Ukraine, but that some elements of the agreement still require refinement.

"The President of the United States (Donald Trump) believes, and I think rightly so, that we are moving in the right direction," Lavrov said in an interview on CBS News.

His statements followed a Russian missile attack on Kyiv overnigiht between Wednesday and Thursday, which killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 90, which, as reported by the media, was rated as the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital in recent months.

When asked what justifies the killing of civilians, given that Ukraine said in March that it was ready for a ceasefire, Lavrov replied that Russia "only targets military targets or civilian objects used by the army" and added that Russian President Vladimir Putin has made this clear several times.

Speaking about the talks, Sergei Lavrov said there were "multiple signs that we are going in the right direction," and praised Trump as "probably the only world leader who recognized the need to address the roots of this conflict."

At the same time, Trump criticized the Russian attack on Kyiv in a post on the Truth Social network, saying that he was "very displeased" and that the attack came at a time when he was working on a peace deal.

"A very bad time for such an attack," Trump said, with a direct message to Putin: "Vladimir, stop."

US Vice President JD Vance warned on Wednesday that Russia and Ukraine must reach a peace deal, while envoys from the US, UK, France, Germany and Ukraine met in London.

Vance said the White House has "laid out a very clear proposal" for both sides and that time for diplomacy is running out.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who joined Trump yesterday in a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Norway in the Oval Office, said that "the war can be ended", stressing that the meeting on Wednesday was "great" and that there will be more during the weekend.

"We've shown them the finish line - now it's up to both sides to say 'yes.' But what happened last night, those missile attacks, should be a reminder to everyone why this war has to end," Rubio said yesterday.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, Russia currently controls about 18 percent of Ukraine's territory.