WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump has called for a 30-day unconditional
ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, stating that he is committed to securing
peace between both nations. He warned that any kind of violations of the
ceasefire would lead to sanctions.
"Talks with Russia/Ukraine continue. The US calls
for, ideally, a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. Hopefully, an acceptable
ceasefire will be observed, and both Countries will be held accountable for
respecting the sanctity of these direct negotiations. If the ceasefire is not
respected, the US and its partners will impose further sanctions," he
wrote in Truth Social on Friday.
"Thousands of young soldiers are dying on a weekly
basis, and everybody should want it to STOP. I do, and the United States of
America does, also. As President, I will stay committed to securing Peace
between Russia and Ukraine, together with the Europeans, and a Lasting Peace it
will be! This ceasefire must ultimately build toward a Peace Agreement. It can
all be done very quickly, and I will be available on a moment's notice if my
services are needed. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" he
further added.
Meanwhile, addressing reporters at the Oval Office, Trump
asked Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky to put an end to the conflict.
"I have a message for both parties: Get this war
ended. Get this stupid war finished. That's my message for both of them,"
he said.
Speaking to reporters at a briefing on Friday, White
House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt mentioned that the much-anticipated
Trump-Putin meeting next week in the Middle East is not going to happen.
The White House said that Trump had a "very good and
productive" call with Zelenskyy, and he expects that both Ukraine and
Russia will come to an agreement next week on the proposed 30-day ceasefire.
Meanwhile the Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov speaking to
reporters said that that Russia is thankful to the US leadership for efforts on
the Ukrainian settlement and it will welcome any country's participation in it,
in a response to a question regarding publications that US President Trump
might ask Turkey or China to facilitate peace talks on Ukraine.
"We are ready to welcome any country's efforts. We
are obviously thankful to the US President Trump for all efforts for bringing
the process of settlement to the political and diplomatic field. And we will
welcome the efforts of all other countries that can contribute (to the
settlement)," Peskov added.
He further said that a detailed discussion of a 30-day
ceasefire with Ukraine is impossible without nuances taken into account.
