A meeting of mediators in ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire with Russia at the meeting on Tuesday. However, whether the ceasefire will take place depends on Russia. Reuters reports
After Ukraine agreed, Moscow said on Wednesday that it would make a decision after learning more about it from the mediating country, the United States. However, Reuters, citing multiple Russian sources, said that they believed that Russian President Vladimir Putin might not agree to it.
After Donald Trump was sworn in as US president on January 20, he took the initiative to end the war in Ukraine. But the situation took a different turn after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House late last month. The Trump administration had suspended military aid to Ukraine. However, now that Ukraine has agreed to a ceasefire, the suspension has been lifted.
After Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire, the United States and its Western allies said the ball is now in Russia’s court. Whether Moscow agrees to a ceasefire will show whether they want peace.
Regarding the ceasefire agreement in Ukraine, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “It now depends entirely on Russia. Whether they say yes or no, that remains to be seen. If Russia agrees, that would be very good news. And if Russia does not agree, then we will certainly consider everything. We will try to understand what they want.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a post on social media today, “This plan for a 30-day ceasefire is a very important step towards restoring peace in Ukraine. Now it depends on Putin.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke to reporters yesterday about the Ukrainian ceasefire proposal. He said they are waiting to hear from the United States about the details of the proposed ceasefire in Ukraine.
“We expect that Secretary of State Rubio and US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz will communicate with us in various ways in the coming days. We will be informed about the ongoing negotiations and the agreements reached in the negotiations,” Peskov said. Asked whether Moscow would agree to a ceasefire, he said, “You are asking for an answer to this question ahead of time.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “Constructive talks have taken place between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia. If a possible 30-day ceasefire is reached, work on drafting a large-scale peace agreement could begin at this time.”