This week, the United States proposed a halt to the fighting in Ukraine following discussions in Saudi Arabia, with Kyiv agreeing to the proposal. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not provided a definitive response, instead outlining several conditions and expressing “serious concerns” about the plan.
Steve Witkoff, former U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy for the conflict, recently met with Putin for several hours. In a televised interview with CNN, Witkoff stated that he believes the two leaders will have a “productive and positive discussion” in the coming week.
Earlier, Moscow confirmed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, discussing “specific aspects of implementing agreements” reached at a U.S.-Russia summit in Saudi Arabia last month.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday accused the Kremlin of stalling, suggesting that Moscow was trying to improve its position on the battlefield before considering a ceasefire. The February summit in Riyadh marked the first high-level meeting between the U.S. and Russia since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov and Rubio agreed to stay in contact, though no mention was made of the U.S. ceasefire proposal. Meanwhile, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce stated that the two diplomats discussed “next steps” regarding Ukraine and agreed to work toward restoring U.S.-Russia communication.
The Lavrov-Rubio conversation occurred just hours after the UK hosted a virtual summit on Ukraine. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized Putin for “dragging his feet” on the ceasefire, insisting that Russia’s conditional response was inadequate. He urged an immediate end to the “barbaric attacks” on Ukraine.
The following day, Kyiv reported that Russia had launched 90 Iranian-made Shahed drones targeting nine Ukrainian regions.
Commenting on the ceasefire proposal earlier in the week, Putin argued that it would primarily benefit Ukraine rather than Russian forces, which he claimed were making advances on several fronts. He expressed doubts about the initiative, as Russia currently holds large portions of southern and eastern Ukraine and has been gaining ground in some areas. Additionally, Russian forces have pushed Ukrainian troops out of sections of the Kursk region, which Kyiv hoped to use as leverage in future negotiations.
Putin stated that he intended to discuss Russia’s concerns with Trump during an upcoming phone call.
Meanwhile, Zelensky accused Putin of delaying the ceasefire and contradicting Trump, who has previously signaled a willingness to engage with Russia. He also accused the Russian leader of “lying” about the complexity of reaching an agreement.
On Sunday, Ukrainian officials reported that a Russian drone strike killed one person in the city of Izyum, located in the Kharkiv region. This area was initially captured by Russia at the start of the invasion before being reclaimed by Ukrainian forces.
