Ukrainian President Voldimir Zelenki has accepted the plan, but Russia has not yet committed to an armistice.
US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are scheduled to speak this week, said special envoy Steve Witkov, as Russia has not yet agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire proposal with Ukraine.
“The two presidents will have a really good, positive discussion this week,” Witkov said in an interview with CNN on Sunday.
Previously, Moscow said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had called on his Russian Sergei Lavrov. The pair discussed “specific aspects of implementing understanding” at the US Russia Summit in Saudi Arabia last month.
Since Moscow began its invasion in February 2022, Riyadh Gathering in February was the first high-level meeting between the US and Russia.
“Sergei Lavrov and Marco Rubio have agreed to maintain contact,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said on Saturday that the pair “discussed the next steps” in Ukraine. She also said Rubio and Lavrov “agree to continue working towards restoring communication between the US and Russia.”
The exchange comes this week when Washington pushes for a 30-day immediate ceasefire proposal following talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Ukrainian President Voldymi Zelenki has accepted the plan, but Putin has not yet committed to a ceasefire. Despite saying he agreed to it in principle, he pointed out that there were “serious questions” for Russia to deal with.
Zelensky accused the Kremlin of not wanting to end the war, and warned that Moscow wanted to “improve the situation on the battlefield” before agreeing to a ceasefire.
Zelenskyy says Putin is lying
In his response to the ceasefire earlier this week, Putin said the initiative would benefit Ukraine, not primarily Russian troops.
The proposal came from Russia, which occupies Swas in southern and eastern Ukraine, gaining momentum in some areas in front.
They removed the Ukrainian troops from parts of the Kursk region. There, Kiev wants to maintain Russian territory as a potential leverage in future negotiations.
Putin said he wanted to talk to Trump about Moscow’s concerns over the phone.
Zelensky said that by disagreeing with a ceasefire, Putin also opposed Trump, who overtured Russia, and accused Moscow of trying to find a way to stop the war. He accused Putin of “liing about how a ceasefire appears to be too complicated.”
Ukraine said on Sunday that one person was killed by a Russian unmanned attack on Idzum city in the Karkiv region, which fell on Russia at the start of the Ukrainian invasion before being taken by Kaif’s troops.
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