Trump calls for 30 day Russia-Ukraine ceasefire, warns of more sanctions
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A resident standing at his Ukraine apartment building, which was damaged by a Russian air strike a day before, as rescuers try to find his mother under the debris on May 8.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump called for a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine to pave the way for talks on a lasting peace agreement, and threatened to impose further sanctions if a truce is violated.
“Hopefully, an acceptable ceasefire will be observed, and both Countries will be held accountable for respecting the sanctity of these direct negotiations,” Mr Trump said in a social media post on May 8.
“If the ceasefire is not respected, the US and its partners will impose further sanctions.”
Mr Trump’s comments underscored how he remains focused on halting the fighting immediately and contradicted his Vice-President J.D. Vance, who said on May 7 that the US has tried to “move beyond the obsession with a 30-day ceasefire and more on what would the long-term settlement look like”.
Mr Trump also appeared to contradict Mr Vance and other members of the administration who have repeatedly threatened to walk away from the discussions unless an agreement is reached soon.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 8 he told Mr Trump in a telephone call that Kyiv was ready for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia “starting this minute”.
Mr Zelensky said Russia had to demonstrate its readiness to end the war, starting with an unconditional ceasefire.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown no willingness to enter direct negotiations with Mr Zelensky and has continued to insist on maximalist demands as a condition to stop fighting, including taking control of four regions in Ukraine it does not fully occupy.
“As President, I will stay committed to securing Peace between Russia and Ukraine, together with the Europeans, and a Lasting Peace it will be!” Mr Trump wrote in the post.
The US has previously floated proposals to end the war that would broadly freeze the conflict along current lines, leaving most of the territory occupied by Russia after more than three years of fighting.
The Trump administration is also prepared to recognise the Ukrainian region of Crimea as Russian, Bloomberg reported in April.
Ukraine and its allies have been urging the US to increase pressure on Moscow, including through more restrictions on energy exports and oil revenues, to force it into a ceasefire on terms proposed by Mr Trump.
The US and European Union have already imposed an unprecedented level of sanctions on Moscow since its February 2022 full-scale invasion, but have been unable to force Mr Putin to stop the fighting.
Mr Vance said in April that both sides would have to make territorial concessions to bring an end to the conflict that was ignited in 2022 when Mr Putin’s forces launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine
