US President Donald Trump has issued an update regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin after talks were held to try and end the on-going war in Ukraine.
It was only on March 11 that Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukraine's allies not to let Putin 'deceive' them over the proposed 30-day ceasefire, and Trump subsequently threatened Putin with consequences.
The Ukrainian president announced the country is ready to 'restore peace' with Russia in a joint statement between the US and Ukraine three years after the country was illegally invaded.
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US and Ukrainian officials spoke for eight hours in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where they agreed to an 'immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire,' which still required Russian approval.
Washington confirmed it would lift the pause on military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv and 'will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace.'
Zelenskyy added that the US needs to convince the Kremlin to agree before the ceasefire takes place.
Since then, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov shared Russia's thoughts on the matter.
"Nobody is talking to us," claimed Lavrov. "They keep saying, ‘nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,’ but they do everything about Russia without Russia."
He also spoke about people’s 'peacekeepers obsession' and said they will not allow foreign troops on Ukrainian soil.
"The presence of the troops from NATO countries, under any flag, under any capacity, on Ukrainian soil is the same threat," Lavrov said.
Confirming that Russia won't accept such troops 'under any conditions', the foreign secretary went on to question: "Why should we give consent to the peacekeeping force?"
Prior to this, Trump went on to threaten Russia if they refused to work with America and Ukraine to restore peace, stating: "We could do things very bad for Russia. Would be devastating for Russia. But I don’t want to do that because I want to see peace."
However, it appears that it’s all turning out quite positively after Trump's envoy spoke with Putin about the proposed 30-day cease fire.
Taking to his social media platform, Truth Social, he wrote: “We had very good and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end — BUT, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN TROOPS ARE COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY THE RUSSIAN MILITARY, AND IN A VERY BAD AND VULNERABLE POSITION.
“I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II. God bless them all!!!”
In response, many were happy with Trump’s involvement and took to the comments to praise his progress.
One person wrote: “Thank you Mr President. May God spare their lives.”
Another said: “WINNER.”
Someone else stated: “If there is anyone that can bring this bloody terrible war to an end, it is President Trump. He has one of the most skilled diplomatic teams working on this issue and if God is willing, they will find a way to stop this awful bad war.”
Topics: Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Russia, Ukraine, US News, Politics
Britt Jones