According to President Donald Trump, US authorities are heading to Russia to discuss a potential ceasefire in Ukraine.
The news comes after Ukrainian officials agreed to a 30-day ceasefire after a highly anticipated meeting with American officials in Saudi Arabia.
Previously, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “The ball is really within them.” [Russia’s] The courts and the United States believe that the only way to end the fight is through peace negotiations.
The Kremlin is studying proposals for a ceasefire and says a call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is possible.
Following a meeting in Jeddah on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodmia Zelensky said it is now up to the US to persuade Russia to agree to the “positive” proposal.
Ireland’s Taoiseach, or Prime Minister – In collaboration with Micheál Martin in his oval office on Wednesday, Trump said he received a “positive message” about the possibility of a ceasefire.
“But a positive message means nothing,” he said. “This is a very serious situation.”
Trump did not identify the official he was referring to.
However, spokesman Caroline Levitt told White House reporters that the Mike Waltz state spoke to his Russian counterparts.
Earlier this week, a familiar source told the BBC that Middle Eastern envoy Steve Witkov was heading to Moscow for negotiations following his speech in Jeddah.
The White House confirmed its plans Wednesday.
“We urge Russians to sign on to this plan, which is the closest thing to peace in this war,” Levitt said.
The Kremlin says it is studying the proposed ceasefire and further details. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it will come “through various channels” over the next few days.
In the oval office, Trump said he believed the ceasefire would make sense for Russia, adding that without details, “Russia has many drawbacks.”
“We’re solving a very complicated situation on one side. We’ve mostly resolved it. We also discussed the land and other things that come with it,” Trump added. “We know the territory of the land we are talking about.
To put pressure on Russia, Trump said he could “do things economically.”
“That would be very bad for Russia,” he said. “I don’t want to do that because I want to get peace.”
The meeting in Jeddah was the first meeting between us and Ukrainian officials since the February 28 meeting between Zelensky and Trump and Vice President JD Vance fell into a cry, eventually suspending US military aid and information sharing.
The suspension was lifted after the meeting in Jeddah, saying Trump believes the “difficult” Ukrainian side and Zelensky are seeking peace.
Despite negotiations ongoing for a potential ceasefire, fighting is raging in Ukraine.
Russian drones and missiles reportedly attacked the target of Cribby Lee, Zelensky’s hometown, overnight.
Clashes continued in Russia’s Kursk region, with Peskov saying Russian troops were “successfully moving forward” the area held by Ukrainian forces and recaptured it.
And later on Wednesday, the Kremlin said Putin had visited the area’s command post. He was shown in footage of the Kremlin walking along with his military chief Gerasimov, both men wearing combat equipment.
It marks the first time the Russian president has visited the region since Ukraine broke through the border in August last year.
Russian media reports that President Putin ordered the military to “fully release” the area during his visit. He has not yet commented on the ceasefire proposal agreed by Ukraine and the US on Tuesday.
Oleksandr Silsky, the head of the Ukrainian army, also indicated on Wednesday that some of its troops had withdrawn from Kursk. In a post on the Telegram messaging app, he said: “In the most difficult situations, my priority was to save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.”
