Quotes
In order to move toward peace, I will be introducing bone-breaking sanctions and tariffs against Russia before the end of the week. If they do not pursue the ceasefire with the same vigor as Ukraine, there will be hell to pay,
Graham warned
I expect overwhelming bipartisan support for my proposal,
he noted
I am very serious [about a ceasefire] and for me it is important to end the war,
Mr Zelensky said during a briefing in Kyiv, where he described the resumption of US aid and intelligence in the wake of the talks in Jeddah as “very positive”.
A ceasefire agreement from us at least means that we are back talking to the Americans and they have given us access to the intelligence we need. Kursk shows what happens when we don’t have it
A senior Ukrainian ministerial adviser said of the situation on the ground and a potential truceWhat for us, Ukraine or the US is 30 days could be just 30 minutes for Russia.”
One senior official from Lithuania – one the Baltic nations which fears Mr Putin’s invasion could be extended to their border – saidThe whole world will see who really wants to end the war and who is simply playing for time,
he wrote on TelegramThey will also certainly try to use provocations to try to transfer blame for any breakdown in the ceasefire to the other side,
the former ambassador saidUkraine's Armed Forces are leaving Kursk. There will be no Ukrainian soldier there by Friday."
Skadovskyi Defender, a Ukrainian military blogger, posted on Telegram
We don't think it's constructive to stand here today and say what we're going to do if Russia says no,
Rubio saidThat's what we want to know - whether they're prepared to do it unconditionally."
Asked whether Russia could accept the ceasefire unconditionally, Mr Rubio said[Putin’s] demands will be maximal and I don’t see how Ukraine can meet them,
he said, suggestingEverything depends now on whether Russia is willing to do so, … or is it rather willing to continue killing people,
he saidIt’s quite a smart move by the Ukrainians,
said Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at RAND
Putin has a strong position because Russia is advancing,
the source said
If the response is ‘yes,’ then we know we’ve made real progress, and there’s a real chance for peace. If the response is ‘no,’ it would be highly unfortunate, and it’ll make their intentions clear,
he saidTrump is likely to find that Putin believes he now has the upper hand in relations with the US because of his sense that the west has lost its dominance in global affairs.”
As John Lough, an associate fellow at Chatham House, wrote presciently last year
Russian exports to the US dropped by more than 80% last year, compared to the prewar period, to about $3bn, the lowest since 1992. The only damaging banking sanctions the US can swiftly impose would be the end of an exception from the existing measures, which allows some Russian banks to receive payments for energy exports.”
As Alexander Kolyandr of the Center for European Policy Analysis saidSo yes, we are in favour of a truce with both hands, but we need at least framework guarantees and at least from the United States,
the source saidThere is a reference to Ukraine’s security there. This indicates that the topic was discussed,
he said
Suffice it to say there’s going to be multiple points of contact with the Russians to gauge, are they willing to do this or not."
However, he added