U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Russia is not an obstacle to reaching a 30-day ceasefire and expressed confidence in the desire of both sides for peace. «I don’t think so. I think they both want peace right now. They are ready to do something. We’ll see what happens. It’s difficult, very difficult. But I think they both really want to make a deal,» he said at the White House in response to a question about Russia’s role in the peace process and the cessation of hostilities.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Against the backdrop of recent peace talks in London, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that the country insists on an immediate, complete, and unconditional ceasefire.
“We in Ukraine insist on an immediate, complete, and unconditional ceasefire. That was the absolutely correct proposal from the United States on March 11 of this year. It is absolutely possible. But it is possible only if Russia agrees and stops the killings. On Easter, we achieved a reduction in the intensity of hostilities and the absence of air alerts,”
Zelensky noted in his address published on Telegram.
He stressed that Ukraine proposed to extend the ceasefire for at least 30 days and to make the ceasefire complete. Furthermore, on April 23, in an interview with the French publication Le Point, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the condition for halting hostilities is establishing Moscow’s control over four Ukrainian regions. He added that none of these regions are currently under full control of Russian forces.
At this time, the statements from the Russian press secretary contradict previous statements from the Kremlin regarding readiness for a ceasefire. On March 11, the U.S. received Ukraine’s agreement to a 30-day ceasefire; however, Putin put forward his own conditions, leaving room for further negotiations and agreements.