UK 'hopeful' after Russia and Ukraine agree to truce

London [UK], March 26: The UK prime minister's office has said it is "hopeful of the progress" following the announcement Ukraine and Russia had agreed to pause hostilities in the Black Sea.
But the government was unclear whether it would follow US efforts to ease some sanctions on Russia as part of the deal agreed on Tuesday.
Immediately following news of the agreement, a government spokesman declined to say whether the United Kingdom would follow any easing of sanctions, saying: "Our position at the moment is that we are obviously hopeful of the progress.
"We are following developments closely." Western nations, including the UK, have imposed a series of sanctions on Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including increased tariffs on Russian fertilizer and agricultural products and prohibiting companies from providing insurance for shipments of certain Russian goods".
Bill Browder, who has campaigned for sanctions against Russia, warned that the agreement was "missing the point completely." He told the PA news agency: "Russia can continue to pound civilian targets like hospitals, schools and apartment buildings and I'm sure they will." (PA Media/dpa)
Source: Qatar Tribune