Donald Trump has warned Vladimir Putin over ‘very bad’ consequences if Russia doesn’t get on board the 30-day ceasefire plan.
The ceasefire plans have geared up a notch after the US President warned that he could hurt Russia’s economy if it didn’t sign the ceasefire plan after talks concluded in Saudi Arabia last night.
Trump said last night: ‘I can do things financially that would be very bad for Russia. I don’t want to do that because I want to get peace.’
Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky said he is willing to accept a proposal for a ceasefire – but only if the US convinces Russia to accept it as well.
He warned partners about Vladimir Putin’s willingness to ‘genuinely end the war’ and to avoid his ‘deceit.’
Zelensky spoke after the talks held in Saudi Arabia yesterday evening, directing his words to Ukraine’s partners like the US and European countries, who have rallied behind Ukraine since Zelensky and Donald Trump’s trainwreck meeting in the White House.
Zelensky said: ‘The key factor is our partners’ ability to ensure Russia’s readiness not to deceive but to genuinely end the war.
‘Because right now, Russian strikes have not stopped.’
Just hours after the plans for a ceasefire were announced, Russian missiles struck the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih – Zelensky’s hometown – where a 47-year-old woman was killed and five others injured.
Odesa and Dnipro were also hit by rockets, damaging homes and injuring at least one person.
The US President Trump said after the talks that he has received ‘some positive messages’ from the Kremlin and that ‘we have people going to Russia right now.’
But, Trump said that ‘a positive message means nothing,’ adding that ‘this is a very serious situation’ after meeting with Ireland’s Taoiseach in the Oval Office.
Meanwhile, the UK Defence Secretary John Healey sent a direct message to the Russian president: ‘I say to president Putin, over to you, you want to talk, prove it.’
What has Russia said about the ceasefire plan?
Russia is yet to accept the ceasefire proposal.
Kremlin said last night it would review the details before responding, according to Reuters.
Putin made a visit to the Kursk region at the frontline of the Russia-Ukraine war. Dressed in a military outfit, he told the troops that his goal is to ‘completely liberate’ the occupied region.
Kursk, which borders the Ukrainian Sumy region, was taken by Ukrainian troops in a surprise move on August 6 last year – the first time since the Second World War Russian territory has been occupied.
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