Trump supports Ukraine's call for a 30-day ceasefire, warning sanctions – state
U.S. President Donald Trump called for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine on Thursday, warning that further sanctions would be imposed by Washington and its partners if the ceasefire is not respected.
Ukraine has said it is ready to accept the U.S. proposal to cease fire immediately, while Russia has only proposed a three-day shutdown to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II on Thursday.
“If the ceasefire is not respected (30 days) the United States and its partners will impose further sanctions,” Trump said in a social media article.
“Hopefully, an acceptable ceasefire can be observed and both countries will be held accountable for respecting the sanctity of these direct negotiations,” Trump said.
“This ceasefire must eventually be built on a peace agreement. It can all be done quickly and I will notify me in a moment if my service is required.”
Trump has said he wants to end the war in Ukraine, but his administration has also threatened to abandon its attempts to trade without progress in Russia and Ukraine.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said this week that Russia's initial peace proposals “requested too much” and that the Kremlin conveyed a 30-day ceasefire “is not in our (Russia) strategic interests.”
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“We obviously want Ukraine to be a sovereign state, but Russia can't expect them to have not even conquered Russia, and that's one thing they proposed in their initial peace plan,” JD Vance said in an interview with Fox News.
He said that at the beginning of the negotiations, Russia made unacceptable demands.
“What bothers me is that if we conclude, the Russians are not negotiating sincerely. If that happens, yes, we will go away.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that he told Trump over the phone that Kiev is ready to cease fire with Russia “from this moment”.
The Ukrainian president said Russia must prove its willingness to end the war, starting with an unconditional ceasefire.
“From this moment, Ukraine has prepared a 30-day ceasefire for this day,” Zelenskyy said in his night video address.
“But it has to be true … This could be the beginning of a few years of peace. An extended and reliable ceasefire will be a real indicator of the movement towards peace.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister said on Thursday that Russia repeatedly violated its own three-day ceasefire after its start and called the initiative a “farce”, while Moscow said Kiev continued to fight.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It annexed Crimea in 2014.
Zelenskyy said he also spoke with Trump about the Ukrainian parliament’s approval on Thursday that the agreement aims to capitalize on Ukraine’s mineral wealth and create investment funds for Ukraine’s reconstruction.
He said he and Trump “note that our relationship has strengthened the importance of our country over decades.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, with Russian leaders earlier calling Moscow’s “main guest” during Friday’s Victory Day celebrations.
In the evening, Putin hosted a dinner with Xi Jinping and other foreign leaders to clearly demonstrate Russia's global influence.
– Documents from Global News and Associated Press
