US President Donald Trump has officially announced that Washington has sent representatives to Moscow to discuss a 30-day ceasefire with Russia in Ukraine. This is reported by the BBC.
Negotiations and Ukraine's position
On March 11, negotiations between the US and Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia lasted 9 hours. During the talks, Ukraine accepted the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, but it was noted that Russia's consent was also needed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the US should persuade Russia to accept the ceasefire proposal. The Kremlin said that it was studying the issue and was waiting for the details of the negotiations.
Trump's position
Donald Trump, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, said there were "positive signals" about the talks.
"But positive signals don't mean anything. This is a very serious situation," Trump said.
According to him, if Russia decides to continue the war, "devastating" sanctions could be imposed on it.
"There are things that are not very nice financially, but I can do them. It will have very bad consequences for Russia. I don't want to do that because I want to achieve peace," Trump said.
Who went to Moscow?
Trump did not specify which officials were sent to Moscow. However, a BBC source reported that Trump's special representative for the Middle East, Steve Whitkoff, traveled to Moscow after the meeting in Jeddah. The White House confirmed this information on March 12.
White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt also said that National Security Adviser Mike Pence had spoken by phone with his "Russian counterpart." Pence did not specify who he had spoken to.
Why did Ukraine quickly agree to the US proposal?
According to BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner, this decision was made in order to influence international relations:
"Ukraine quickly agreed to the American negotiating team's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire because it would allow them to be seen on the international stage as a country seeking peace," Gardner said.
It was also reported that the Ukrainian leadership had consulted with Western allies, including Jonathan Powell, the British Prime Minister's national security adviser.
New sanctions threat to Russia
US Senator Lindsey Graham said that Russia must agree to a 30-day ceasefire or face new sanctions. He stressed that Congress would impose restrictions not only on Russia, but also on countries that buy its oil, gas and uranium products.
"Russia should already be feeling insurmountable economic pain for its invasion of Ukraine," Graham said.
After talks in Jeddah, Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire, but Russia has not yet announced its decision. US officials have traveled to Moscow to continue the talks. If Russia continues the war, the US and Congress may impose tough sanctions. How this process ends also depends on a possible upcoming telephone conversation between Trump and Putin.
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