The Kremlin reported this Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump do not support pressure from Europeans and Ukrainians for a temporary ceasefire before an agreement is sealed, and said that Moscow believes Kiev needs to make a decision on Donbas.
According to Kremlin Foreign Policy Advisor Yuri Ushakov, Putin and Trump spoke by phone for 1 hour and 15 minutes, a call that took place at Trump’s request before his meeting in Miami with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
‘The main thing is that the presidents of Russia and the United States have similar opinions that the option of a temporary ceasefire proposed by the Ukrainians and the Europeans under the pretext of preparing a referendum or under other pretexts only leads to a prolongation of the conflict and is fraught with new hostilities,’ Ushakov said.
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Ushakov said that for hostilities to end, Kiev needs to take a ‘bold decision’, in line with discussions between Russia and the US over the Donbas region.
‘Given the current situation on the fronts, it would make sense for the Ukrainian regime to make this decision in relation to Donbas.’
Russia, which controls 90% of Donbas, wants Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the 10% it still controls. In total, Russia controls about a fifth of Ukraine.
