The Japan Times - West says next step 'up to Putin' on Ukraine ceasefire proposal

In its first comments on the proposition, the Kremlin said it was waiting for details from Washington.

US President Donald Trump's administration lifted a freeze on military aid to Ukraine after Kyiv accepted the plan, the latest in a rapid-fire series of developments on the conflict.

"The idea of a 30-day ceasefire is an important and correct step towards a just peace for Ukraine... Now it's up to (President Vladimir) Putin," Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on social media platform X.

Scholz echoed similar demands for a Russian reply that have already been made by Washington and Kyiv.

"We'll take this offer now to the Russians and we hope they'll say yes to peace. The ball is now in their court," American Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday after talks in Saudi Arabia where Ukraine backed the US truce proposal.

Andriy Yermak, a top aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Tuesday in Jeddah that Ukraine had made clear that its desire was peace.

"Russia needs to say, very clearly, they want peace or not, they want to end this war, which they started, or no," Yermak told reporters.

With Trump stunning allies by applying intense pressure on Kyiv and reaching out to Moscow, Ukrainian officials came to talks in Saudi Arabia eager to make up and had proposed a partial truce on air and sea attacks.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Moscow did not rule out a "high-level" phone call with the United States about Ukraine.

"We assume that Secretary of State Rubio and Advisor (Michael) Walz through various channels in the coming days will inform us on the negotiations that took place and the understandings reached," Peskov said.

Earlier, Russian news agencies reported that the heads of CIA and Russia's SVR foreign intelligence agency spoke by phone on Tuesday, in the first such contact in several years.

CIA's John Ratcliffe and SVR's Sergei Naryshkin agreed on "regular contact" between their agencies "in order to contribute to the international stability and security, as well as a decrease in confrontation in relations between Moscow and Washington," Russia's state TASS news agency reported.

- 'Big meeting' -

Rubio said the United States would immediately resume military assistance and intelligence sharing it had cut off to pressure its wartime partner following a disastrous February 28 meeting between Trump and Zelensky.

In Washington, Trump said he was ready to welcome Zelensky back to the White House and may speak to President Vladimir Putin this week.

Asked by a reporter about the prospects of a comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine, Trump answered: "Well, I hope it will be over the next few days, I'd like to see."

"I know we have a big meeting with Russia tomorrow and some great conversations hopefully will ensue."

Since the US cutoff of aid and intelligence sharing, Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and seized back land in Russia's Kursk region which Ukrainian forces had infiltrated.

Hours before the Jeddah talks, Ukraine staged a major direct attack on Moscow, with hundreds of drones slamming into the capital and other areas, leaving three people dead.

Trump's abrupt shift on Ukraine following Biden's strong support has rattled European allies, with France and Germany increasingly speaking of developing common European defence if the United States no longer offers its security guarantees through NATO.

- Allies cautious -

Rubio will head on Wednesday to Canada -- another country with which Trump is feuding -- to meet fellow foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrial democracies.

Rubio has said he will push the G7 to avoid "antagonistic" language about Russia for fear of scuttling diplomacy.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who has mulled European forces in Ukraine as part of any deal, on Tuesday hailed the "progress" made in the Jeddah talks but insisted that Kyiv needs "robust" security guarantees in any ceasefire.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the deal a "remarkable breakthrough" while Italy's Giorgia Meloni said now the ceasefire "decision is up to Russia".

In Poland, a top supporter of Ukraine and where historical memories of Russia run deep, Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised the "important step towards peace."

Even if Russia agrees to a ceasefire, much remains uncertain in negotiations. Ukraine has pressed for security guarantees, but Trump, in another shift from Biden, has ruled out NATO membership.

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T.Kobayashi--JT