Russia’s refusal to agree to ceasefire indicates rejection of Trump’s proposal - Zelenskyy

Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed this during a press conference.

The president believes that Russia wants to assume a stronger position before the ceasefire. Zelenskyy noted that currently, the Russians appear "at least unserious."

"After they didn't anticipate that an allied solution would be achieved in Jeddah, they now realize they have to respond. And now they will talk about control, or something else," the president said.

He emphasized that Ukraine agreed to the U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. However, if the Russians don't agree, it will mean they don't oppose Ukraine’s proposal but rather President Trump's proposal.

"Because all our efforts were ultimately formulated by the Americans, and this is their clear position. And those who were in the negotiations in Saudi Arabia represent President Trump's stance. Therefore, Putin is not agreeing today to what Trump proposed to both Ukraine and Russia. I believe this is simply (for the purpose of) finding an excuse not to move toward ending the war," Zelenskyy added.

• On March 11, the Ukrainian and American delegations met in Jeddah, following which Kyiv agreed to a 30-day ceasefire with Russia, and the United States agreed to immediately resume intelligence sharing and security assistance.
• Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin stated that Russia agrees with the proposal to cease hostilities in Ukraine but emphasized that “this must lead to a long-term peace.” The Center for Countering Disinformation noted that the mention of “nuances” is typical of Russia’s behavior in international politics.
• On March 14, Andrii Sybiha stated that Ukraine has begun forming a national team to develop an algorithm for controlling a potential ceasefire with Russia.