Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Russia is likely to present a Ukraine ceasefire outline within days. According to multiple reports, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated they would present their own terms "maybe in a number of days, maybe this week hopefully."
The Russians will offer "just broad terms that would allow us to move towards a ceasefire, and that ceasefire would then allow us to enter into detailed negotiations to bring about an end of the conflict," Rubio said.
Putin said he was ready to work with Ukraine on a "memorandum" outlining a possible roadmap and different positions on ending the war. "It is obvious that Russia is trying to buy time in order to continue its war and occupation," Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky replied in a social media post.
According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Russia has "once again affirmed its desire to achieve a final, fair settlement of the crisis," adding that progress towards a resolution of the conflict cannot be achieved without tackling the root causes.
She said it is necessary to agree on many aspects, including the main principles of the settlement, the timing of the potential peace agreement and details regarding a possible ceasefire if relevant agreements are reached.
Earlier this week, Putin and US President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation on the Ukraine crisis and recent Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul. Ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine "will begin immediately," said Trump after his two-hour call with his Russian counterpart.
