The Russian government has reportedly rejected President Donald Trump’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire agreement as the war in Ukraine continues.
The president recently got Ukraine on board with the idea earlier this week, which placed the ball in the Kremlin’s court. Now, it appears all parties might have to go back to the drawing board.
From NPR:
As U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff enters talks with Russian officials in Moscow on a Trump administration proposal Ukraine has already accepted for a 30-day ceasefire, President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, rejected the idea.
Speaking on Russian state television, Ushakov dismissed a 30-day ceasefire as a mere "breather" for Ukrainian troops, emphasizing Moscow's preference for substantive peace talks.
Ushakov reiterated Russia's demands: Ukraine must recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea and four southeastern regions, withdraw troops from lands claimed by Russia and pledge never to join NATO. He said he "hopes [the United States] knows our position and wants to believe that they will take it into account as we work together going forward."
Moscow also seeks limits on Ukraine's military, protections for Russian speakers and elections to replace Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Meanwhile, Russian forces have reclaimed most of the territory lost in last summer's Ukrainian offensive in Russia's Kursk region.
This comes as President Trump agreed to restart military aid to Ukraine while lifting the freeze on intelligence sharing with the nation. U.S. officials met with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia earlier this week to work out the ceasefire agreement.
Andriy Yermak -- the head of Zelenskyy's office -- was part of the Ukrainian delegation that met with American representatives in Jeddah, where both teams agreed to pursue a 30-day ceasefire and use the pause in fighting as a launchpad for full peace negotiations to end Russia's three-year-old invasion of its neighbor.
"Ukraine is ready to accept a 30-day ceasefire if Russia agrees," Yermak wrote on Telegram on Wednesday morning. "This is a necessary step to begin work on real security guarantees and preparing the final terms of a peace agreement."
"But now the key is in Moscow's hands -- the whole world will see who really wants to end the war and who is simply playing for time," he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday accused Russia of “seeking to prolong the war” after its government had not yet indicated whether it would accept the agreement. He called on the U.S. to “compel” Moscow to put a stop to hostilities.
Regrettably, for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made. This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible. We hope that U.S. pressure will be sufficient to compel Russia to end the war.
The Ukrainian delegation provided me with a detailed report on its meeting with US representatives in Saudi Arabia, including the progress of negotiations and key aspects.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 13, 2025
It is good that the conversation was entirely constructive. Ukraine is committed to moving quickly toward… pic.twitter.com/5chfbyUvjB
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to have a phone call sometime in the near future but a solid date has not been set. However, Witkoff is expected to meet with Putin this week to further discuss an end to the war.
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