A Kremlin official says Russia sees efforts to end Ukraine war as a drawn-out process

Russia views efforts to end its three-year war with Ukraine as “a drawn-out process,” a Kremlin spokesman said Monday, after U.S. President Donald Trump expressed frustration with the two countries’ leaders as he tries to bring about a truce.

“We are working to implement some ideas in connection with the Ukrainian settlement. This work is ongoing,” Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.

“There is nothing concrete yet that we could and should announce. This is a drawn-out process because of the difficulty of its substance,” the Kremlin spokesman said when asked about Trump’s anger at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments dismissing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s legitimacy to negotiate a deal.

Russia has effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for a full and immediate 30-day halt in the fighting. The feasibility of a partial ceasefire on the Black Sea, used by both countries to transport shipments of grain and other cargo, was cast into doubt after Kremlin negotiators imposed far-reaching conditions.

Trump promised during last year’s U.S. election campaign that he would bring Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II to a swift conclusion.

Peskov didn’t directly address Trump’s criticism of Putin on Sunday, when he said he was “angry, pissed off” that Putin had questioned Zelenskyy’s credibility as leader.

But the spokesman said that Putin “remains absolutely open to contacts” with the U.S. president and was ready to speak to him.

Both countries are preparing for a spring-summer campaign on the battlefield, analysts and Ukrainian and Western officials say.

Putin on Monday ordered a regular bi-annual call-up intended to draft 160,000 conscripts for an one-year tour of compulsory military service. Russian authorities say that the troops deployed to Ukraine only include volunteers who signed contracts with the military and conscripts aren't sent to the frontline. Some draftees, however, fought and were taken prisoners when the Ukrainian military launched an incursion into Russia's Kursk region in August.

Zelenskyy said late Sunday that there has been no reduction in Russia’s attacks as it drives on with its invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022.

“The geography and brutality of Russian strikes, not just occasionally, but literally every day and night, show that Putin couldn’t care less about diplomacy,” Zelenskyy said in his daily address.

“And almost every day, in response to this proposal, there are Russian drones, bombs, artillery shelling, and ballistic strikes,” he said.

He urged further international pressure on Moscow to compel Russia to negotiate, including new sanctions.

The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas picked up on that theme at a meeting of some of the bloc’s top diplomats in Madrid on Monday.

“Russia is playing games and not really wanting peace,” Kallas told reporters ahead of the meeting, which was due to discuss the war. “So our question is, how can we put more pressure on Russia.”

Trump said he would consider imposing further sanctions on Russia, which already faces steep financial penalties, and using tariffs to undermine its oil exports.

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, came under another Russian drone attack overnight, injuring three people, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said Monday.

Russia also fired two ballistic missiles and 131 Shahed and decoy drones, the Ukrainian air force said.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses shot down 66 Ukrainian drones early Monday over three Russian regions.

“The continuing attacks by the Ukrainian armed forces on Russia’s energy facilities show the complete lack of respect for any obligations related to the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine by the Kyiv regime,” the ministry said in a statement.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Sunday, March 30, 2025, a Russian Army 2S5 howitzer Giatsint-S fires towards Ukrainian positions in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

A Ukrainian military boat CB90 of Military Naval Forces patrols Black Sea coast line of Odesa region, Ukraine, on March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Sunday, March 30, 2025, a Russian Army 2S5 howitzer Giatsint-S fires towards Ukrainian positions in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — A championship window seemed to be closing when the Boston Celtics left Madison Square Garden earlier this week.

Jayson Tatum had just been carried off the court with a season-ending injury minutes before the Celtics were pushed to the brink of elimination. The players were decidedly down.

The defending NBA champions are certainly not out.

They return to New York on Friday night for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, believing they can extend the series and the Knicks' 25-year wait to get back to the conference finals.

“It’s win or go home at this moment, so none of us want to go home and so we understand it’s only going to get tougher,” Celtics guard Derrick White said. “We haven’t done anything yet. Just got to find a way to go to New York and win a game.”

Only 13 teams have overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series. The Celtics are trying to do it without their leading scorer, who ruptured his right Achilles tendon late in the Knicks' 121-113 victory in Game 4.

“I know it’s kind of easy to write things off. Obviously unfortunate what happened to JT. But we’ve still got basketball to be played,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown said. “I believe in this group, so don’t count us out just yet.”

The Celtics rolled to a 127-102 victory on Wednesday and have led by at least 14 points in the second half of all five games. The Knicks rallied to win three of them, but the starters know they can't keep putting the team into a hole.

“We need to be better,” Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson said. “Flat out.”

A victory would send the Knicks into the conference finals for the first time since they lost to the Indiana Pacers in 2000. The Pacers would be the opponent again, having eliminated top-seeded Cleveland, in a series that would begin Wednesday in New York.

If the Celtics win, Game 7 would be in Boston on Monday, with the winner getting just one day of rest before hosting the Pacers.

White scored 34 points in Game 5 and is 13 for 24 from 3-point range in the last two games. Brown comes off 26 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds and has scored at least 19 points in all five games, a reminder that the Celtics go far beyond Tatum.

“They’re defending champions," Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said. "So obviously losing Tatum is a big blow for their team, but we know they’re more than capable of beating anyone on any night.”

When/where to watch: Game 6, 8 p.m. EDT (ESPN).

Series: Knicks lead 3-2.

BetMGM Sportsbook: Knicks by 2.5.

What to know: The Knicks have not won a series on their home floor since the 1999 Eastern Conference finals. They failed in their lone chance this year, when they lost to Detroit in Game 5 of their first-round series. As starting center Kristaps Porzingis struggles to stay on the floor because of lingering effects of a virus that saps his energy, the Celtics may have found another option in Game 5. Luke Kornet — like Porzingis a former Knicks big man — came off the bench and had 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots. He provided the kind of boost the Knicks need from Towns, their All-Star who battled foul trouble and has made just two 3-pointers in the series. The Celtics, who won a league-high 33 road games during the regular season, are 3-1 at Madison Square Garden this season.

This story has been corrected to show that the Knicks are favored by 2.5 points. A previous version reported incorrectly that the Celtics were favored.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Cameron Payne (1) during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, right, during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet (40) dunks against New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)