Ukraine accepts US ceasefire proposal, backs immediate negotiations with Russia

The ball is suddenly in Russia's court. The time has come to test how serious Russia is about stopping the war with Ukraine and restoring peace. The talks between the US and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia have increased the pressure on Russia. A day after the talks, Ukraine has said that it is ready to accept the 30-day ceasefire with Russia proposed by the US.

Now the US has agreed to send military aid back to Ukraine and share intelligence inputs.

What happened in Saudi?

The talks in Jeddah on Tuesday, March 11 were the first official meeting between the two countries after a public spat between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Here the Ukrainian representatives accepted the US proposal which called for an immediate 30-day ceasefire.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was involved in the talks, said that he would present the proposal to Russia and "the ball is in its court". At the same time, Ukrainian President Zelensky said that now it is up to the US to convince Russia to agree to the "positive" proposal. Zelensky came on television and thanked Trump and said that Ukraine is committed to seeking peace "so that the war does not return".

Spat between Ukrainian President Zelensky and US President Donald Trump

Speaking to the media outside the White House after the talks, President Trump said, "This is a total ceasefire. Ukraine has agreed to this and hopefully Russia will agree to this."

      Also Read: Train Hijack: 'Want to save your life, leave Balochistan...', BLA threatens China and Pakistan

"We are going to meet them (Russian representatives) later today and tomorrow. Hopefully we will be able to reach an agreement. I think the ceasefire is very important. If we can get Russia to do this, it would be great. If we can't do that, the war will continue and people will die, a lot of them." - Donald Trump

Pressure on Russia for the first time regarding the peace deal

Now for the first time Russia is being asked to show its commitment to peace. Announcing the peace proposal in Saudi, the US Secretary of State said that he hoped Russia would accept the peace deal "so that we can get to the second phase of it, which is the actual talks".

It is not that Russia has not shown a desire for a ceasefire. Russia is also insisting on a ceasefire. However, the Kremlin wanted elections to be held in Ukraine before any full talks about Ukraine's future security. At the same time, Ukraine would want strong security guarantees before a ceasefire to avoid a resumption of war.

Russia is being asked to show its commitment to peace

Zelensky and Putin are both experts in the pressure game. On Monday night, just before the talks with the US, Ukraine launched a drone attack in Russia. This decision was a clear demonstration that even though the US has stopped its military aid and intelligence input, it has not yet significantly reduced Ukraine's military capability. This was also an aggressive attempt to put pressure on Moscow for a peace deal. On the other hand, Ukraine announced its agreement to the US proposal and a few hours later, Russia carried out an airstrike on Kiev.

Zelensky and Putin are both experts in the pressure game

For now, Ukraine seems to have the diplomatic mileage. However, as long as a fiery player like Donald Trump is in the equation, it is not known which way the tables will turn.

All eyes will now be in Russia to see to what extent it shows seriousness in negotiating for peace. At the same time, the pressure for America will be that Trump, who is seen chanting Putin-Putin's name, should persuade Russia for a ceasefire.

        Also Read: Baloch Army hijacks train in Pakistan, hundreds of passengers trapped in train