European Council Chief Costa warns of major risk in temporary Ukraine-Russia ceasefire

President of the European Council António Costa stated this, as reported by RTP.

Costa praised the efforts of the United States in trying to bring Russia to the negotiating table. However, he reminded that Russia has repeatedly violated ceasefires in the past.

“Russia did not fulfill what was agreed in Budapest, nor did it adhere to the agreements in Minsk I or Minsk II. Let’s see if it will abide by what is agreed upon now,” said the President of the European Council.

According to him, a simple ceasefire is not enough.

“What really matters is a just and lasting peace. If this is the way forward—great. Let’s hope that it is,” Costa emphasized.

Negotiations on possible ceasefire in Ukraine: what is known

On March 11, a meeting between Ukrainian and American delegations took place in Jeddah. As a result, Kyiv agreed to a 30-day ceasefire with Russia, while the U.S. committed to resuming intelligence sharing and security assistance.

On March 18, U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, which lasted about two hours. The two sides agreed that the path to peace should begin with halting attacks on energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, Moscow demanded that Ukraine stop mobilization and the rearmament of its armed forces during the possible ceasefire.

Following Trump’s talks with Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Kremlin leader effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire.