Europe stands firm on 30-day Ukraine ceasefire, Russia sanctions threat: analyst

Major European Union powers will continue to push for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, reflecting a stance that differs from that of the United States following the Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul, according to a Chinese analyst.

Russian and Ukrainian delegations concluded a two-hour meeting in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Friday, agreeing to a new round of negotiations and a large-scale prisoner exchange involving 1,000 people from each side.

The talks in Istanbul followed a May 11 proposal from Russian President Vladimir Putin to resume direct negotiations with Ukraine. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously expressed openness to a face-to-face meeting with Putin, the Kremlin has stated that Putin will not attend these talks.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Saturday, Zhang Xin, an associate professor at the School of Politics and International Relations at East China Normal University, said that Russia used the Istanbul meeting as a strategic move to weaken the consensus between Europe and the United States on an unconditional ceasefire. However, he noted that this tactic is unlikely to alter Europe's demand for an unconditional ceasefire and a new round of sanctions against Russia.

"I think President Putin actually proposed this meeting in Istanbul as a way to counter Europeans' demand for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire more than 10 days ago. I think, through this meeting in Istanbul, the Russian side successfully managed to sort of dilute the Europe-U.S. consensus on the unconditional ceasefire demand. And on the European side, of course, it's not very happy with this breakdown of the consensus that was together with the United States," he said.

"But the leading countries now within Europe, particularly the UK, Germany, France, and Poland, together with Ukraine, are very much keen on keeping up this unconditional ceasefire demand. And together with the EU, at the EU level, they continued the 17th round of sanctions against Russia. So I think that the results coming out of Istanbul weren't satisfactory to major countries in Europe as well as at the EU level. And then we are very likely to see a continued demand for some sort of unconditional ceasefire by leading European countries on the one hand, and a new round of sanctions against Russia by Europe," the analyst added.

The EU has threatened Russia with a 17th round of sanctions over its failure to reach a ceasefire with Ukraine in the Istanbul talks, targeting the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines linking Russia to Europe, Russia's banking sector, and the so-called shadow fleet of aging vessels, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday.

Europe stands firm on 30-day Ukraine ceasefire, Russia sanctions threat: analyst

The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.

In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.

"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.

Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.

The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."

Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.

President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.

Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.

Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.

The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.

Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests