KEY POINTS
- Russia is reviewing Ukraine’s 30-day ceasefire proposal
- Following Jeddah talks, the US resumed military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine
- Trump supports the ceasefire and hopes for a swift resolution
- West urges Russia to accept the ceasefire proposal
- Ukraine signals willingness to negotiate, calling on Russia to clarify its stance.
- Moscow insists on receiving full details before responding
- Putin demands Ukraine abandon NATO ambitions and withdraw from Russian-claimed regions
MOSCOW: The Kremlin on Wednesday said it is awaiting further details from Washington regarding a proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, as Western leaders intensify pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to respond to the proposal.
The United States and Ukraine backed the proposal during talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, prompting the US to lift its freeze on military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed that Russia was studying the outcome of the negotiations and expected a briefing from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
“Rubio and Waltz said they would pass on detailed information to us through various channels about the essence of the conversation that took place in Jeddah. First, we must receive this information,” Peskov said at a press briefing in Moscow.
US policy on Ukraine war
The ceasefire proposal marks a major shift in US policy under President Donald Trump, who had previously suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, insisting Kyiv must negotiate an end to the conflict.
However, following the Jeddah talks, Washington reversed its stance and agreed to resume assistance to Ukraine.
Trump, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, expressed hope that Russia would accept the ceasefire. “I hope it will be over in the next few days. I’d like to see it,” he said, adding that he expected to speak with Putin soon.
Western leaders have placed the responsibility for the next step squarely on Russia. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, posting on social media platform X, called the ceasefire plan “an important and correct step towards a just peace for Ukraine,” adding, “Now it’s up to Putin.”
US Secretary of State Rubio said, “We’ll take this offer now to the Russians, and we hope they’ll say yes to peace. The ball is now in their court.”
Ukraine, meanwhile, has expressed its willingness to engage in negotiations. Andriy Yermak, a senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said in Jeddah that Ukraine had demonstrated its commitment to peace.
“Russia needs to say, very clearly, they want peace or not, they want to end this war, which they started, or no,” Yermak told reporters.
Moscow signals caution
Peskov said that while Russia did not rule out a “high-level” conversation with the US, no such discussion had yet been arranged.
“We assume that Secretary of State Rubio and Adviser Waltz will inform us through various channels in the coming days on the negotiations that took place and the understandings reached,” he said.
Russian state media also reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence agency, held a rare phone call on Tuesday, agreeing to maintain “regular contact” to contribute to international stability.
Russian conditions for peace
While Moscow has signalled openness to discussions, it has consistently maintained that a short-term ceasefire is not a sufficient solution to the conflict.
President Putin, speaking in December, stressed, “We don’t need a truce, we need a long-term peace secured by guarantees for the Russian Federation and its citizens.”
In June, Putin outlined his conditions for peace, which include Ukraine officially abandoning its NATO ambitions and withdrawing its forces from four regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—that Russia claims as its own.
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Moscow insists that these territories, which it largely controls, are now legally part of Russia and will never be returned to Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated this stance in an interview with US bloggers, saying that had Ukraine adhered to the Minsk agreements, it could have retained its 1991 borders—excluding Crimea and parts of Donbas.
Lavrov further warned that any NATO presence in Ukraine, even under a peacekeeping mandate, would be considered a direct threat to Russia.
Uncertain path ahead
Even if Russia agrees to the 30-day ceasefire, questions remain over long-term security arrangements.
Ukraine has consistently sought Western-backed guarantees, but Trump, departing from the policy of his predecessor Joe Biden, has ruled out NATO membership for Kyiv.
French President Emmanuel Macron has cautiously welcomed the progress made in Jeddah but insisted that any ceasefire must come with “robust” security guarantees for Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the deal as a “remarkable breakthrough,” while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that the next move “is up to Russia.”
In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the ceasefire plan “an important step towards peace,” but officials remain wary of Russia’s long-term intentions.
