Damien Gramatics
BBC correspondent
Reuters
Kiel’s Starge Meeting Voldimill Zelensky met earlier this month
According to sources from the UK government, the UK is “closely involved” in helping Ukraine and the US reach an agreement with Russia over a proposed ceasefire agreement.
Ukrainian President Zelensky said it would be up to the US to persuade Russia to agree after talks in Saudi Arabia.
The BBC is said to have been European efforts last week, led by Ir Keir Starmer, to help bring the US and Ukraine back to each other’s advantages.
Sir Kiel praised the “amazing breakthrough” and called it “a critical moment for peace in Ukraine.”
Following the announcement, the Trump administration said it would revive military aid to Ukraine and resume intelligence sharing with Kiev – after suddenly stopping this after the line of Donald Trump and Zelensky.
Last week, the Prime Minister’s national security adviser Jonathan Powell will work with his counterpart Mike Waltz and German and French officials to plan a ceasefire and subsequent measures, according to British sources.
Over the weekend, Powell traveled to Kiev to meet Zelensky, helping to draft written proposals that included a temporary suspension of combat, then exchange of prisoners, the return of Ukrainian children whose Russia was stolen, and the release of civilians.
The proposal was agreed by Ukrainians and Americans and set the stage for what happened in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Following discussions between the Saudi Arabian White House and Ukrainian officials, Sir Kiel congratulated the two men on the contract, adding that “we all need to strive for it” to secure a Ukrainian peace agreement.
He said: “As the US and Ukrainian delegations said, the ball is now in the Russian courts. Russia now has to agree to a ceasefire and fight.”
Trump told reporters that US officials told Moscow on Tuesday or Wednesday that they “want to get this show on the streets.”
When asked about the 30-day ceasefire proposal, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Don’t preempt yourself.”
Speaking at daily press conferences, he said Russia is “a careful study of the statements made after the meeting,” and that the Kremlin should be explained by the US on the outcome of the US-Ukraine consultations in Saudi Arabia before commenting on whether the proposed ceasefire will be accepted by Russia.
Peskov did not rule out the need for a telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Trump.
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Jonathan Powell, the prime minister’s national security adviser, played a key role in planning the ceasefire and subsequent steps.
Labour MP Emily Thornberry, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, said the UK plays a “big role” in where things during the war in Ukraine currently exist, including a proposal to halt combat.
“I think we need to pause this moment and be grateful for our calm, optimism and hope,” she told the BBC’s programme today.
“We may have peace in Ukraine. This is a step along that path. It can happen and I think we need to understand what we have achieved at this stage.
She also said Powell was able to “make his money.” He said the work he helped Ukraine and the United States reach an agreement with Russia over a proposed ceasefire agreement was a “effect.”
On Saturday, Ir Kiel will hold a call from a leader called “pleasant” who spoke with the “pleasant coalition” aimed at preventing Russian President Putin from launching future invasions into Ukraine.
Those who take the phone call are “ready to help Ukraine end this war in a fair and permanent way that will allow Ukraine to enjoy freedom,” he said.
One of the goals of the European team working behind the scenes was to make sure that it is now Russia that is in the spotlight. Do you want peace?
A British source said, “The ball is firmly in the Russian courts. Will they stop fighting and halt to allow serious negotiations on lasting peace, or will they continue to massacre innocent civilians?”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine more than three years ago, hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed or injured on both sides, and millions of Ukrainian civilians fled as refugees.
Russia’s attack on Ukraine has been confirmed by Ukrainian authorities in President Zelensky’s hometown of Krivii Lee, killing one person – and followed by attacks on cargo ships in the port city of Odessa – followed by attacks on four Syrian citizens and four cargo ships that destroyed port infrastructure and grain storage agents.
