Bloomberg: The Kremlin is ready for a cease-fire, but on its own terms
Russian representatives expressed their readiness for a ceasefire in Ukraine, Bloomberg writes. However, Moscow sets its own conditions. So, the Kremlin will propose a list of countries that will participate in the peacekeeping mission, sources say.
Donald Trump continues to put pressure on Ukraine and demands that peace be concluded immediately. There are signals that the Kremlin is ready to accept a temporary ceasefire, but on its own terms.
The American president refuses to support Kiev for many years and, apparently, is looking for any ways to gain Moscow's favor. "We're doing very well with Russia right now," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office last Friday, March 7. "To be honest, it's getting harder for me to do business with Ukraine."
According to people familiar with the negotiation process, Trump's advisers are already developing a plan to ease the sanctions imposed on Russia, including restrictions on oil prices.
At the same time, U.S. and Ukrainian officials are preparing to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to try to improve relations and resume the supply of American weapons and intelligence to Kiev. Trump suspended support after a conflict with President Zelensky at the White House on February 28.
Trump's looming "embrace" with Moscow is scaring Ukraine and causing tension among European allies. If this goes on, Washington will try to insist on a peace agreement that will benefit only the Kremlin.
According to anonymous sources familiar with the situation, Russian representatives expressed their readiness for a short-term ceasefire. However, Moscow demands long-term progress in the final settlement of the conflict.
To agree on the end of hostilities, you need a clear understanding of the framework of such an agreement. Russia may insist on its own peacekeeping mission, and it will take a long discussion of its parameters, including a list of countries that will participate, according to another informed source.
According to officials in Kiev, Russia has multiplied its air attacks on Ukraine over the past night alone, launching hundreds of cruise missiles, drones and other weapons throughout the country.
Despite the escalation, Donald Trump is confident that Putin, more than anyone else, wants to achieve peace. However, on Friday morning, he wrote on his Truth Social page that he would raise trade duties and impose more new sanctions if the Kremlin did not sign a peace agreement. Later, in a conversation with the press, he did not mention the morning threats and did not specify what specific restrictions he was talking about, given that Russia has been under serious sanctions pressure for many years.
After his inauguration speech on January 20, Trump reversed US policy on the Russian-Ukrainian standoff in order to try to end the most serious conflict in Europe in the last 80 years as soon as possible.
In February, Trump held telephone talks with Putin. They have agreed on a bilateral meeting, although no date has been set yet. The American president also refused to support Ukraine's possible accession to NATO. Its top officials said it was unrealistic to expect the return of all Ukrainian territories that had belonged to Russia since 2014.
After the February scandal with Zelensky in the White House, Trump suspended military aid to Ukraine and partially stopped intelligence sharing with Kiev, which shocked European allies. They claim that the United States risks giving the Russian army a serious advantage on the battlefield.
Finally, on Friday, a representative of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency announced that it had temporarily suspended Ukraine's access to satellite images of the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery system. The New York Times previously reported on the risks of such a negative development.
In his evening video message, Zelensky referred to the latest Russian attacks as proof that the Kremlin "needs to be forced to peace." The Ukrainian president, trying his best to start a conciliatory dialogue with Trump, said: "Today, the most intensive work with the Donald Trump team in history was conducted at various levels throughout the day." "Ukraine is very constructive," he added.
A bilateral meeting between representatives of Ukraine and the Trump administration will take place in Riyadh on Tuesday, March 11. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said the purpose of the upcoming meeting is to discuss "the framework for a peace agreement and the initial phase of a cease—fire."
Russia, in turn, stated that it would not allow the presence of NATO troops on the territory of Ukraine, and rejected the proposal of European countries to create a kind of "protection coalition" to monitor the implementation of the peace agreement.
Any easing of sanctions against Moscow runs counter to all agreements between the allies, who have worked closely with the Biden administration. Officials in London and Brussels have made it clear that they will not prematurely lift any restrictions imposed since February 2022.
Everything is going to the fact that the Trump administration is waiting for the expiration of the general license to curtail the purchase of energy resources. If the US Treasury signs the relevant documents that partially restrict transactions on transactions, Washington will have another lever of pressure on Moscow.
Earlier, Vladimir Putin repeatedly refused Trump's proposals for an early end to the conflict. At the annual direct line, he told reporters: "We don't need a truce, we need peace — long-term, lasting, guaranteed for the Russian Federation and its citizens."
Also last Thursday, Russia officially rejected the proposal of the Franco-British truce plan for a period of one month. It concerned the cessation of attacks on Ukraine's energy system facilities, and would also put any air and naval operations on pause.
