U.S. President Donald Trump, on Thursday, urged Russia to accept a 30-day unconditional cease-fire with Ukraine, warning that any violations would trigger additional sanctions.
Trump made the appeal following a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has been working to strengthen ties with the U.S. after a tense clash with the White House on Feb. 28.
"Talks with Russia and Ukraine continue. The U.S. calls for, ideally, a 30-day unconditional cease-fire," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform after speaking with Zelenskyy. "If the cease-fire is breached, the U.S. and its allies will impose further sanctions."
He emphasized that both nations must be held accountable for respecting the integrity of these direct negotiations aimed at ending the conflict sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Zelenskyy quickly pressed the Russians to accept, saying they must "prove their willingness to end the war."
"Ukraine is ready for a full cease-fire starting right now, from this very moment – a 30-day silence. But it must be real. No missile or drone strikes, no hundreds of assaults on the front," Zelenskyy wrote on social media.
Ukraine in March embraced the U.S. proposal for a 30-day unconditional cease-fire, but it was brushed aside by Russia, which sees itself gaining an upper hand on the battlefield as U.S. assistance to Kyiv dries up under Trump.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, for his part, ordered a three-day cease-fire for Thursday's 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, for which Moscow held a vast military parade attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Ukraine dismissed the cease-fire as theatrics and said Russia had broken its own order after just a few hours.
"When has Russia ever kept its promises?" said Anatoly Pavlovych, 73, in Kyiv.
Trump had vowed to end the war within a day of returning to the White House. He quickly reached out to Putin, effectively ending the Western isolation of the Russian leader that had been in place since he invaded Ukraine.
But Trump has shown growing impatience, first with Zelenskyy and more recently with Putin, as the fighting has continued.
Trump said Thursday he wanted lasting peace. "It can all be done very quickly, and I will be available on a moment's notice if my services are needed," he wrote.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly warned that the U.S. could drop its efforts and move on to other issues without progress.
Trump heads next week to Saudi Arabia, which has served as a venue for separate U.S. talks with Russia and Ukraine.
Asked by reporters if he could hold a surprise meeting with Putin in Saudi Arabia, Trump said: "I don't think so, but we're having very good conversations. Very, very good."
Zelenskyy has sought to remove perceptions that he is an obstacle to peace, after Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated him at the White House meeting as allegedly ungrateful for the billions of dollars in U.S. aid under former President Joe Biden.
Ukraine's parliament on Thursday ratified a minerals deal with the U.S. that Zelenskyy had meant to sign in the ill-fated White House meeting.
The deal, which spells out joint development of Ukraine's natural resources and minerals used in high technology, does not include any security guarantees from Washington.
But the Trump administration argues that boosting its business interests in Ukraine will act as a bulwark against Russia.
