Russia has offered the US a list of claims to an agreement to the invasion of Ukraine and related relations with Washington, it was reported.
The claims were presented to Washington after the Ukraine accepted a 30-day proposal discussed with the US during peace talks in Saudi Arabia on March 11.
It is unclear what was included in the letter, but a senior Russian official told state media that any long-term peace agreement was based on guarantees that Ukraine would not be allowed to join NATO.
“We will demand that IronClad security guarantees become part of this agreement,” Foreign Deputy Minister Alexander Grushko said. “Part of these guarantees must be the neutral status of Ukraine, the NATO countries refusal to accept it in the alliance. ‘
The Ukraine-American talks in Saudi Arabia have resulted in a commitment that the US would renew intelligence and “safety support” after suspending both last week following a disastrous White House meeting between President Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky in February.
On Wednesday, it appeared that British officials, including a Downing Street -Fixer, were allegedly ‘intimate involved’ in the mediation of the talks.
Below we look at everything we know about the ceasefire.
What are the demands of Vladimir Putin?
At a press conference in the Kremlin on Thursday, Vladimir Putin said he agreed with the ceasefire, but added that there were ‘nuances’ to be discussed.
He will agree to a ceasefire based on the assumption that it would lead to “long -term peace”, he claims and adds that such an agreement should eliminate the “causes” of the conflict.
The Russian president said the Russian forces are moving forward all over the front line and that the ceasefire should ensure that Ukraine does not try to simply use it to group again.
While the Russian forces performed a successful counter -offensive in the Border Region of Kursk over the past week, their attacks in the eastern Ukrainian region Donetsk came to a standstill. Ukrainians started counter -attacks against the eastern line, especially in Toretsk.
The overwhelming concern among Ukrainians and their European allies is that it is Russia that would use a break in battle to group again and attack Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers in Koursk will ‘surrender or die’, Mr. Putin warned. He questioned what would happen to troops currently happening in Kursk in Kursk.
Previously, he excluded territorial concessions, saying that Ukraine should fully withdraw from four Ukrainian regions claimed and partially controlled by Russia. He also insisted that any ceasefire can only continue if the West gives a guarantee that Ukraine would not join NATO.
What is the reaction of Ukraine?
Mr. Zelensky on Tuesday called on Russia to accept the ceasefire that his team agreed with the United States and posted on social media that Ukraine was ready to accept it.
But after the unveiling of his conditions, the Ukrainian leader said that Mr. Putin wants to delay a ceasefire and play in time.
“At the moment we have all heard of Russia Putin’s highly predictable and manipulative words in response to the idea of a ceasefire on the front lines – at this moment he is preparing it to reject it,” he said.
‘Of course, Putin is afraid to tell President Trump directly that he wants to continue this war and kill Ukrainians. Therefore, in Moscow they are around the ceasefire with such conditions that it fails or dragged away for as long as possible.
“Putin does it regularly – he doesn’t say” no “completely, but he drags things out and makes reasonable solutions impossible. We consider it another round Russian manipulation.
‘There was an American proposal for an unconditional ceasefire – in the air, at sea and on the front lines. We in Ukraine accepted this proposal. ”
He said the Americans are ready to organize, monitor and verify the ceasefire. It was feasible, he said, to set a plan to end the war on the table during the ceasefire.
“We do not set conditions that complicate the process – Russia is,” he added.
The ceasefire proposals were reportedly drawn up with the help of British National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell, who this weekend Mr. Zelensky visited Kyiv. Mr. Powell also worked with US counterpart Mike Waltz and German and French officials to form a plan for the ceasefire, the government’s sources told the BBC.
Suggestions with Mr. Powell was reportedly included a temporary break in battle, the war exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russia.
Mr Zelensky says a more permanent ceasefire is not possible without some form of US security guarantees. His ultimate goal is the NATO membership for Ukraine, but the US seems to have decided it.
Previous suggestions that they will not stop fighting until the Russian forces are completely pushed out of Ukraine, including Crimea, it appears to be.
What did the US say?
President Trump, who said he was prepared to talk to the Russian leader by phone, said Mr. Putin called ‘very promising’ and said that he hopes Moscow ‘would’ do the right thing ‘.
But he added: “Now we’re going to see if Russia is there or not, and if they are not, it will be a very disappointing moment for the world.”
He said Steve Witkoff, his special envoy, was having serious talks with the Russians in Moscow about the US proposal, which Kyiv had already agreed.
Mr. Trump claims to have received “positive messages” about the ceasefire from Moscow and reiterated on Wednesday that he would “do financially that would be very bad for Russia” if they did not accept it.
He said that a ceasefire for Moscow would make sense, but said that there was “a lot of disadvantage for Russia” without expanding.
‘We resolved a very complicated situation on the one hand, which is fairly resolved. We also discussed land and other things associated with it, ”he said.
“We know the areas we are talking about, whether it is withdrawing or not withdrawing.”
He acknowledged that positive signals of the Russians mean “nothing” until an agreement is signed. Many of Europe and Ukraine believe that the positive signals of Mr. Putin will mean nothing, even after a peace agreement is signed; History is filled with examples of Russia, according to the leadership of Mr. Putin, which breaks ceasefire agreements, they say.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the delegation in Saudi Arabia, said after the talks that the US would take the offer to Russia, and that the ball was in court of Moscow. “Our hope is that the Russians will answer ‘yes’ as quickly as possible so that we can reach the second phase of this, which is real negotiations,” he told reporters.
What happens now?
Mr. Rubio said the plan will be delivered to the Russians via various channels. The Kremlin says this will respond after the US discussed with them the details of the proposal agreed by Ukraine.
The national security adviser of Mr. Trump, Mike Waltz, will meet his Russian counterpart in the coming days and Mr. Witkoff met with Kremlin officials in Moscow on Thursday.
Meanwhile, fights continue. Russian forces are in the middle of a large counter -offensive in the Border Region of Kursk. They were able to recycle the striking soon and remove an important territorial bargaining disc for Ukraine.
Mr. Putin, donating military fatigues, recently visited troops in Kursk. This is the first time he has visited the front in three years of war against Ukraine. It says that he did so less than 24 hours after Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire.
Moscow also starts hundreds of missiles and drones every night at civilian cities and towns across Ukraine.
