The US president has put the pressure on Russia’s Putin to accept a Ukraine war ceasefire agreement hammered out with Zelenskiy’s advisers.
The accord reached in Saudi Arabia by US and Ukrainian negotiators for a 30-day halt in the conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion three years ago, now hinges on Vladimir Putin, who may have little incentive to abide by it.
“Hopefully President Putin will agree to that also, and we can get this show on the road,” Trump told reporters at the White House Tuesday. “It takes two to tango.”
Terms of the proposal were announced after eight hours of meetings in Jeddah between Ukrainian and American officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. In return for Ukraine’s acceptance of the US proposal, the Trump administration agreed to lift its freeze on military aid and intelligence for Kyiv.
It was a deal under which Ukraine managed to get back in Trump’s good graces after the disastrous Oval Office meeting that descended into a shouting match between Zelenskiy, Trump and Vice President JD Vance. In this round, the Ukrainian delegation affirmed its desire for peace but otherwise made few concessions.
Trump said US officials will speak to their Russian counterparts on Wednesday and that it’s possible he’ll talk to Putin this week. But Putin may attach his own set of conditions that would be difficult for Ukraine and its European allies to accept.
Ceasefire accords after Putin’s initial incursions into Ukraine collapsed in 2014 and 2015 over Russian violations, leaving a simmering conflict until Russia’s invasion in 2022, and Russia has already issued its own set of demands for a longterm accord.
Moscow has rejected the presence of European troops in Ukraine that could act as peacekeepers. It’s also insisting on keeping territory it’s seized, that Ukraine give up its aspiration to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and that Ukraine hold a presidential election.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the accord in Jeddah a “remarkable breakthrough” and said “the ball is now in the Russian court. Russia must now agree to a ceasefire and an end to fighting too.”
In Jeddah, Waltz told reporters that the Ukrainian delegation “made concrete steps and concrete proposals,” including “on how this war is going to permanently end.” The two nations said in a joint statement that they also agreed to conclude “as soon as possible” a deal that Trump has demanded for the US to share in Ukraine’s mineral development.
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