Russia cautiously approaches US ceasefire proposal
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Russian sources have reacted warily to a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire supported by Ukraine, saying that any deal to end to the war in Ukraine would have to take into account the Russian advances and address its concerns.
The Kremlin, meanwhile, said it was waiting for the US to inform it about the details of a proposed ceasefire in Ukraine that Ukraine agreed to after talks in Saudi Arabia.
“We assume that Secretary of State (Marco) Rubio and Advisor (Michael) Walz through various channels in the coming days will inform us on the negotiations that took place and the understandings reached,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding Russia did not rule out a “high-level” phone call with the US.
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has left hundreds of thousands of dead and injured, displaced millions of people and triggered the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
A senior Russian source said that President Vladimir Putin would find it difficult to agree to the ceasefire idea without hashing out terms and getting some sort of guarantees.
“It is difficult for Putin to agree to this in its current form,” the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, said.
“Putin has a strong position because Russia is advancing.”
The source said that without guarantees alongside a ceasefire, Russia’s position could swiftly become weaker and that Russia could then be blamed by the West for failing to end the war.
Another senior Russian source said that the ceasefire proposal looked from Russia’s perspective to be a trap because Mr Putin would find it hard to halt the war without some concrete guarantees or pledges.
A third Russian source said the big picture was that the United States had agreed to resume military aid and intelligence sharing and had decorated that move with a ceasefire proposal.
US President Donald Trump has reversed previous US policy on Russia, opening up bilateral talks with Moscow and suspending military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, saying it must agree to terms to end the war.
The United States agreed yesterday to resume military aid and intelligence sharing after Kyiv said it was ready to support a ceasefire proposal.
This morning in Warsaw, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski confirmed that deliveries of US armoured vehicles from the Jasionka logistics hub in southeastern Poland had “returned to their previous level”.
Mr Sikorski was speaking alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha who had taken part in talks with US officials in Jeddah yesterday.
Mr Sybiha described yesterday’s talks as “very important historical meetings”.
“Ukraine has approved the proposal of a temporary truce for 30 days. Now the American side will speak to the Russian side on this matter. Ukraine is the country that wants an end to this war,” added Mr Sybiha.
He said that Ukrainian negotiators were workings towards “a just and comprehensive peace”.
