The US is seeking to conclude a ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia by April 20, the day the Orthodox and Catholic churches will celebrate Easter.
Bloomberg writes about this, citing sources.
The White House admits that the terms of the agreement may shift due to major differences between the positions of Ukraine and Russia. So far, both sides are shelling each other, and Russia, writes Bloomberg, is in no hurry to conclude an agreement.
The US President Donald Trump promised a swift end to the war in Ukraine during his campaign, but progress has been limited. The US officials will soon meet separately with Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia to discuss future steps towards peace. These will be the first parallel talks since the Istanbul talks in March 2022.
Russia has made maximalist demands for any deal, including a freeze on arms supplies to Ukraine — a position rejected by Kyiv and Ukraine’s allies. The White House has not yet agreed to any restrictions, the sources said.
European officials fear that Trump’s quest for diplomatic triumph will lead him to sacrifice Ukraine’s interests and agree to terms that will leave the country vulnerable to future Russian attacks. They argue that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is stalling to squeeze more concessions from Trump and more Russian progress on the battlefield.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv is ready to be “concrete and fast in negotiations”. Ukraine is represented at the talks by high-ranking officials — the head of the President’s Office, the ministers of defense and foreign affairs, and an advisor to the head of the Security Council. At the same time, Russia is represented by lower-level officials who are tasked with discussing general issues.
The Kremlin will not agree to a meeting between Trump and Putin until the parties reach a comprehensive peace agreement. But that is unlikely until mid-April 2025. If Russia signs a deal with the US, it will be more difficult for Moscow to maintain relations with China, Iran and North Korea, and the Russian side does not take this lightly.
Despite Putin’s tough demands during the talks, Trump understands that any deal must be acceptable to Kyiv to succeed. According to Bloomberg sources, the US is not prepared to give much — and is also unlikely to agree to a Trump-Putin meeting until a long-term ceasefire agreement is reached.
What preceded
On March 11, negotiations between delegations from Ukraine and the United States took place in Saudi Arabia. As a result, Ukraine agreed to an immediate temporary ceasefire — in exchange, Washington decided to resume aid and intelligence sharing. Volodymyr Zelensky said that a 30-day ceasefire would apply to the entire front line if Russia agreed to it.
On March 18, Trump spoke with Putin. They discussed, in particular, the 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States. Putin demanded that Ukraine stop the mobilization and rearmament of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for this period. After the conversation, the parties reported that Putin allegedly supported the idea of a mutual refusal of the Russian Federation and Ukraine from attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days.
Trump spoke with Zelensky on March 19. The US president shared with the Ukrainian leader the details of his conversation with Putin. Zelensky said he was ready to support the cessation of strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure. He also announced a new meeting of the Ukrainian delegation with the American one in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.
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