Ukraine ready for 30-day ceasefire: Donald Trump’s mediation

Kyiv (Ukraine) – The Russia-Ukraine war, which has been going on for more than three years, is now likely to stop for a month. After the US announced that it would lift the ban on providing military assistance and intelligence to Ukraine, Ukraine expressed its readiness to implement an immediate ceasefire. In this regard, high-level discussions were also held between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that American negotiators were headed to Moscow this week to achieve a ceasefire in the Ukraine war, with officials saying that the US wants Russia to agree to an unconditional halt in the conflict. On the other hand, the Kremlin said that it was awaiting details of a US-Ukrainian proposal that was agreed upon this week. However, it gave no indication of its own readiness to accept a truce deal.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said that his country was ready for a deal, and the US had indicated that it would issue a “strong” response if Putin does not accord.

Trump told reporters at the Oval Office, “People are going to Russia right now as we speak. And hopefully we can get a ceasefire from Russia,” he added. The White House said that Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, mediator in the Gaza and Ukraine wars, would be in Moscow this week. The US President though did not mention whether he would speak with Putin, but added that there had been “positive messages” from Moscow, saying “I hope he’s going to have a ceasefire.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington wanted Moscow’s agreement with no strings attached. “That’s what we know, if they’re prepared to do it unconditionally,” Rubio said.

The defence ministers of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, and Poland met in Paris recently to discuss how they could support Ukraine, and any ceasefire. Even though the Kremlin has made no immediate comment on the US-Ukraine proposal, the Russian foreign ministry had earlier this month that a temporary ceasefire would be unacceptable.