US pushes Russia to accept its truce plan ‘unconditionally’
By signalling its openness to a ceasefire, Ukraine has handed the Kremlin a difficult challenge at a time when the Russian military has the upper hand in the war: Should Moscow accept a truce and abandon hopes of making new gains, or should it reject the offer and risk derailing a cautious rapprochement with Washington?
President Putin has repeatedly ruled out a temporary break in hostilities, saying it would only benefit Ukraine and its Western allies by letting them replenish their arsenals. He has insisted Moscow wants a comprehensive agreement that would ensure a lasting settlement.
The Kremlin responded cautiously to the news of Ukraine accepting the US-proposed truce during Tuesday’s talks in Saudi Arabia, saying that it needs to know details of the discussions before expressing its view.
The careful approach reflects Putin’s awareness of the risk that a blunt rejection of the offer could upset tentative efforts to normalise Russia-US relationship .
Observers say that instead of an outright rejection, Putin will likely propose linking the truce to certain conditions that would protect Moscow’s interests. The Russian military held the battlefield initiative last year, making slow but steady gains along several sections of the 1,000km frontline.
The US, meanwhile, res tarted supplies after Ukraine agreed to the truce proposal at talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Secretary of state Marco Rubio said the United States was now seeking Moscow’s full agreement to the proposal, without attaching any of its own demands. “That’s what we want to know — if they’re prepared to do it unconditionally,” Rubio said.
President Donald Trump said he hopes Putin will agree to the US proposal . “I hope he’s going to have a ceasefire,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Earlier, Russian news agencies reported that the heads of the CIA and Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence agency had held their first phone call in several years.
