Charles Maines

U.S.

efforts have really bogged down on the issue of territorial concessions versus security agreements.

Russia is demanding Ukraine cede territory, including parts claimed but not occupied by Russian forces.

Ukraine maybe understandably argues, why should we give what Russia has been unable to take in four years?

Or if they're somehow to agree to that, and then certainly they want to see ironclad security guarantees from the West and from the U.S.

in particular.

These are assurances that Russia won't simply attack again.

But speaking in Munich over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made it clear he's under pressure from the White House to sign on to a deal.

Issued by the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.

The report claims that analyses of samples from Navalny's remains conclusively showed traces of epibetidine, a toxin found in poisonous frogs in South America.

The report notes that only Russia's government had the means, motive, and opportunity to administer the poison to Navalny while he was serving out a lengthy prison sentence in Russia's Arctic.

The U.S.

says it has no reason to dispute those findings, yet Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the European allegations as biased and unfounded.

Russia's government has always maintained Navalny died by natural causes and declined to launch a criminal investigation into his death.

Charles Mainz, NPR News, Moscow.

The findings were announced by the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands, and based on samples from Navalny's remains smuggled out of Russia.

The report says analyses conclusively confirm the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found in poisoned dart frogs in South America, but not native to Russia itself.

The report says Russia's government had the, quote, means, motive, and opportunity to issue the poison while Navalny was in prison.

Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalna, said the new findings confirm what she and her husband's supporters have always insisted.

Navalny was murdered on order of Russian President Vladimir Putin.