Trump awaits Russian reply on Ukraine ceasefire
Moscow
US President Donald Trump said he expects Russia to respond soon to his proposal for a Ukraine ceasefire. Speaking at the White House, Trump said, “We’re going to be hearing from them this week… I think we’re getting close.”
This comes after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Lavrov confirmed Moscow is ready to work with the US on solving the Ukraine crisis.
Secretary Rubio, who was in Paris, discussed Ukraine with officials from France, Ukraine, and other European countries. These talks were part of a broader US-Russia consultation process, which recently included a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff in Saint Petersburg.
Despite this progress, Russia's UN envoy Vasily Nebenzya called a full ceasefire “unrealistic” now. He said Ukraine had broken an earlier agreement not to attack energy sites.
Trump’s March 18 proposal urged both sides to stop hitting energy infrastructure for 30 days. Putin agreed and gave the Russian military the order to stop such strikes. Ukraine initially backed the plan too.
But from March 18 to April 16, Ukraine reportedly attacked energy facilities in 15 Russian regions, including Crimea and the Donbas. These strikes used drones and artillery.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine failed to honour the moratorium and continued targeting Russian energy systems. As of Friday, Russia claims such attacks are still happening.
Trump hopes for a breakthrough soon, but officials on both sides acknowledge that major obstacles remain.
US may quit Ukraine peace talks soon
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that America may withdraw from Ukraine peace efforts within days if no progress is made. Speaking after talks with European, Russian, and Ukrainian officials, Rubio said time is running out to see if peace is possible. “We need to decide quickly,” he said, adding the war is not America’s to fight. Rubio met Russia’s Sergey Lavrov and presented a peace plan, which got a “positive” response. The US says President Trump is committed to ending the war, but will pull back if efforts fail soon.
