Washington and Kiev have reportedly come to an agreement for a 30-day cessation of hostilities in the Ukrainian conflict.
According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday, Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of US President Donald Trump, is scheduled to travel to Moscow later this week. His mission is to present the US proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
The agreement follows a meeting in Jeddah on Tuesday between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and representatives from Kiev, where a diplomatic resolution to the conflict was discussed. The resulting joint statement declared Ukraine’s agreement to a month-long ceasefire, accompanied by the US resumption of military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Leavitt informed reporters during a White House press briefing that Waltz spoke with his “Russian counterpart” via telephone on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing developments.
She also stated that Trump’s envoy would personally travel to Russia.
Leavitt told Fox News on Wednesday, “President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is returning to Moscow this week to encourage the Russians to agree to the proposed negotiation.”
Trump informed reporters in the Oval Office that the US and Russia are scheduled to have a “big meeting” on Thursday.
When questioned about the potential for the US to influence Moscow’s acceptance of the ceasefire agreement, the US president mentioned the possibility of imposing “devastating” financial penalties.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow is “carefully analyzing the statements that have emerged” from the discussions between the US and Ukraine.
He urged caution against hasty pronouncements, emphasizing that Russia needs “detailed information” regarding the ceasefire alluded to by Waltz on Tuesday before making any decisions.
Russia has historically been against temporary ceasefires in Ukraine, arguing they would simply repeat the failed Minsk agreements of 2014-2015. They allege that Kiev’s Western allies used those agreements to re-arm Ukrainian forces.
“`