(AFP) – A US envoy headed for Moscow on Wednesday, and President Donald Trump expressed optimism for a 30-day ceasefire in the Ukraine war. However, officials stated that the United States wants Russia to agree to an unconditional halt to the conflict. The Kremlin mentioned it was awaiting details of a proposal agreed upon by Ukrainian and US officials this week, giving no indication of its readiness to stop fighting, which has left tens of thousands dead in the past three years.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country had shown it was ready to embrace a deal, adding that the United States had indicated it would issue a “strong” response if President Vladimir Putin refused an accord. “People are going to Russia right now as we speak. And hopefully, we can get a ceasefire from Russia,” Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting with Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheal Martin. The White House mentioned that Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, a mediator in the Gaza and Ukraine wars, would be in Moscow this week. Trump did not specify whether he would speak with Putin but added that there had been “positive messages” from Moscow, stating, “I hope he’s going to have a ceasefire.”
He emphasized that if fighting could be suspended, “I think that would be 80 percent of the way to getting this horrible bloodbath finished.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that Washington wanted Moscow’s agreement with no strings attached. “That’s what we want to know — if they’re prepared to do it unconditionally,” Rubio stated while on a plane heading to a G7 meeting in Canada. “If the response is, ‘yes’, then we know we’ve made real progress, and there’s a real chance of peace. If their response is ‘no,’ it would be highly unfortunate, and it will make their intentions clear,” he remarked.
Rubio was set to provide an update on the initiative at the G7 meeting in Charlevoix, Canada. While the Kremlin did not make an immediate comment on the US-Ukraine proposal, which was agreed upon at a meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the Russian foreign ministry stated earlier this month that a temporary ceasefire would be unacceptable. Trump mentioned that he could order “devastating” sanctions against Russia if it refused, but added: “I hope that’s not going to be necessary.”
“I can do things financially that would be very bad for Russia. I don’t want to do that because I want to get peace,” Trump stated. This development marks the latest dramatic swing in diplomacy surrounding the conflict, coming less than two weeks after Trump expelled Zelensky from the White House, expressing dissatisfaction with the Ukrainian leader’s attitude toward US assistance. Trump halted military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv, but that resumed after Ukraine agreed to the truce proposal on Tuesday. Trump earlier indicated he was prepared to welcome Zelensky back to the White House and may speak to Putin this week.
In Kyiv, Zelensky mentioned that the United States would apply pressure on Moscow if it did not accept the ceasefire proposal. “I understand that we can count on strong steps. I don’t know the details yet, but we are talking about sanctions and strengthening Ukraine,” Zelensky told reporters. “Everything depends on whether Russia wants a ceasefire and silence, or it wants to continue killing people,” the Ukrainian leader added. He emphasized that there was little faith among Ukrainians that a ceasefire would take place, stating, “I have emphasized this many times, none of us trust the Russians.”
Ukraine is increasingly suffering on the battlefield, losing ground in the east and south of the country, where officials reported eight people were killed on Wednesday. Russia has also reclaimed territory in its western Kursk region, pushing back Ukrainian troops who staged a shock offensive last August. Putin visited troops involved in the Kursk counteroffensive on Wednesday and received a progress report, as shown in TV images.
This week, Ukraine launched its largest ever drone attack on Russia, resulting in three fatalities near Moscow. Russia has also intensified its aerial attacks on Ukraine. Even if Putin agrees to a ceasefire, much remains uncertain in negotiations. Ukraine has pressed for security guarantees, but Trump has ruled out NATO membership. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier assumed that Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz would “inform” Moscow “on the negotiations that took place and the understandings reached.” Earlier reports indicated that the heads of the CIA and Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence agency had held their first phone call in several years.
burs-jc/tw/bgs – Shaun TANDON with Barbara WOJAZER in Kyiv
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