American representatives are on their way to Russia to discuss a proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 12 during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin in the White House.
"We have people going to Russia right now," Trump said.
Speaking to journalists in the Oval Office, the U.S. president said Washington has "some positive messages about a possible ceasefire." He added that a potential of the temporary truce is now up to Russia.
Kyiv agreed to a temporary ceasefire proposed by Washington during the talks in Jeddah on March 11, provided that Russia also did. The talks in Saudi Arabia also led to the U.S. restarting key military and intelligence support for Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov gave an evasive answer when asked about the U.S. proposal, explaining that the topic must first be discussed with the American side.
Trump also warned that Russia could face "devastating" financial consequences if it chooses to continue its all-out war against Ukraine.
"There are things you can do that wouldn't be pleasant in a financial sense," he said. "It would be very bad for Russia. I don't want to do that, because I want to get peace."
Shortly after his inauguration, Trump said that the U.S. can impose tariffs and sanctions on Russia to force their hand in negotiations, saying "we can do it the easy way or the hard way." Recently, however, Washington reportedly considered easing sanctions on Russian oil, a major source of funding for the war in Ukraine.
Earlier in a day, Reuters reported citing undisclosed Russian sources that Moscow is unlikely to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine, feeling it has the upper hand on the battlefield and viewing the ceasefire as a trap.
In the past, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other top officials have ruled out a temporary ceasefire that would freeze the conflict along the current front lines.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv doesn't trust Russia but wanted to show to Trump and European partners that Ukraine is serious about ending Russia's full-scale war.
Andrea Januta
