The Kremlin said Wednesday it was waiting for a briefing from US officials on details of the 30-day ceasefire proposal accepted by Ukrainian representatives at a meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
“As mentioned yesterday in the Waltz of the National Security Advisor, Secretary of State Jeddah, we hope to inform us of details of the negotiations and what we have reached in the coming days through various channels,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov I said At a press conference on Wednesday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House national security advisor Michael Waltz are in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for consultations to arrange a ceasefire in the war that began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
After an eight-hour meeting on Tuesday, Rubio announcement The Ukrainians accepted the American proposal for a 30-day full ceasefire.
Ukrainian officials came to the meeting with a much more ambitious proposal that should have suspended long-range air and sea-based attacks, but the battle continues along the frontline.
“You have to stop shooting each other. That's what the president wanted to see. That's the commitment from the Ukrainian side today,” Rubio said Tuesday. “We're now accepting this offer to the Russians. We hope that the Russians will return and forth.”
“The Ukrainian delegation today has made it very clear that President Trump's vision for peace, and that he shares his determination to end the fight, to end the murders and to end the people's tragic flesh grinders,” Waltz added.
The Kremlin is willing to hold off final judgment until at least receiving a detailed briefing, but Russian military bloggers and dedicated supporters of President Vladimir Putin angeredly rejected the US proposal as a “trap” that would only give Ukrainians time to reposition and exterminate their troops.
Moscow Times on wednesday Quote Some of the angry responses from Russian commentators:
“The first point: 30 days is a totally insignificant period required by Ukraine, not Russia, to fill up the losses and prepare a new line of defense. The second point continues from the first point. The Americans resume military aid to Ukraine. The Ukrainian forces will actively use the Ukrainian forces during the ceasefire to strengthen and prepare new attacks.”
“And the question: is this necessary for the backdrop of the collapsed Ukrainian front? I don't think so,” he added.
“Trump is in a hurry to end the war in Ukraine. [Elon] Musk. However, he has no clear idea of how to do it and is not yet ready to unilaterally withdraw from the war. This was a trap set by the Democrats,” said Russian ultranationalist philosopher Alexander Dugin.
Many of these angry Russian reactions claim that Ukraine is clearly losing the war, so it would be foolish for Moscow to lift military pressure by agreeing to a ceasefire. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday that it had recaptured most of the villages occupied by Ukrainian forces in the surprising August anti-violence of the Kursk region.
“I will push your peace initiative to your ass. Last year, the conditions for a ceasefire were given. You responded with an invasion. I sang Russian war correspondent Alexander Cott.
Peskov settled at a press conference on Wednesday, claiming that Russian officials are “examining” the US proposal.
In addition to a complete halt of hostilities, US deals include prisoner exchanges and “returning of Ukrainian children on forced transfers.” This is a topic that Russians don't want to discuss. Putin is now subject Arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his role in the massive accrual of Ukrainian children.
Peskov I said He knew President Donald Trump's desire to discuss his direct ceasefire proposal with Putin, but no such meeting is scheduled yet. The final public conversation between the two leaders was a 90-minute call on February 12th.
Some Russian military officials have given foreign reporters a mild version of the military bloggers' response, but they have now complained that Russia's position in Ukraine is strong enough to counteract the ceasefire. New York Times (NYT) I'm in a bad mood Recognised Putin may have been more willing to consider a ceasefire contract on Wednesday after Trump “reorganised Russia's favorable US foreign policy and against the American allies that opposed U.S. President Voldymir Zelensky in the White House.”
Putin rejected the concept of a short-term ceasefire on Trump's inauguration day, expressing “long-term peace based on respect for the legitimate interests of all those living in the region.”
Putin may be more willing to settle down in a “tactically undesirable but strategically advantageous” ceasefire, as Moscow political analyst Ilya Grashenkov, said.
“It's certainly not impossible for Russians to accept this, not because they want an unconditional temporary ceasefire, but because they are involved in their relationship with Washington.” I said.
Analysts said Russia's success in ousting Ukrainians from Kursk could actually make the ceasefire deal more appealing, as serious threats to Russia's security and public pride have been resolved, despite the warlike stance of Russian military commentators. This allows Putin to accept the ceasefire without appearing weak.
Rubio on his way back to the US from Saudi Arabia He told reporters He was hoping to “contact” Russia by the end of Wednesday.
“If they say no, it tells us a lot about what their goal is and what their way of thinking is, but I don't want to get into it before they answer us,” Rubio said during a refueling halt in Ireland.
“The United States does not provide weapons to Russia. The United States does not provide assistance to Russia. All sanctions imposed on Russia still exist,” he pointed out.
“These things continue to exist, but I don't think it's constructive to stand here today and start pose a threat about what Russia would do if they said no. I hope they say yes,” Rubio said.
