Putin 'stole' another week of war by dodging ceasefire proposal, Zelenskyy says

Putin 'stole' another week of war by dodging ceasefire proposal, Zelenskyy says

The U.S. and Ukraine are pushing Russia to accept a 30-day ceasefire.

Russian President Vladimir Putin "stole" another week of war in Ukraine with his vague response to a 30-day ceasefire proposed by Washington and Kyiv last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.

Both Ukraine and Russia are seeking to avoid blame for prolonging Moscow's 3-year-old war and undermining nascent U.S.-led ceasefire and peace talks. American negotiators have now met with representatives from both Kyiv and Moscow in their bid to formulate a deal.

Following the U.S.-Ukraine meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last week, the two sides proposed a full 30-day ceasefire as a springboard for a wider peace agreement. Putin said he was "for" the would-be freeze in fighting, though set out additional conditions for its implementation and suggested a pause would benefit Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has since released several statements framing Putin as intentionally hindering ceasefire talks.

"After the talks in Jeddah and the American proposal for a ceasefire on the frontline, Russia stole almost another week -- a week of war that only Russia wants," the Ukrainian president wrote on social media on Sunday.

#news #putin #trump #zelensky #ukraine