As discussions regarding the 30-day ceasefire proposal between Russian and U.S. officials were about to take place, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an accusation against Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming that Putin aims to prolong the ongoing conflict.
Zelenskyy expressed his belief that Putin lacks the courage to convey directly to President Trump his desire to sustain the war and continue the bloodshed of Ukrainian citizens. According to Zelenskyy, Putin and his administration in Moscow are introducing numerous conditions around the ceasefire proposal, making its success unlikely or intentionally delaying its implementation.
On Thursday, Putin said he agreed with the U.S. plan for a 30-day ceasefire in “principle,” but signaled that Russia would not be signing onto the agreement in its current form. Ukraine agreed to the plan following talks with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia, as long as Russia commits to the plan.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Rostelecom, Russia’s largest telecommunications provider, president at the Kremlin in Moscow on June 7, 2023. (GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump said on Thursday that if Russia does not come to the table and agree to the ceasefire, “it’ll be a very disappointing moment for the world.” The president vowed throughout his campaign to end the Russia-Ukraine war, saying that if he had remained in office in 2020 the war, which began with Russia’s 2021 invasion of Ukraine, would not have started.
