Reaction to ceasefire

Moscow: “Decision will be made in Russia”

Russian soldiers in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia

(Bild: APA/AFP/Andrey BORODULIN)

Following the high-level meeting between Ukraine and the USA in Saudi Arabia, at which the representatives from Kiev agreed to the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, the ball is now in Russia's court. However, the initial reactions from Moscow on Wednesday night were rather cool. 

Foreign Office spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "The Russian Federation's position is not determined abroad on the basis of some agreements or efforts by some parties. It takes place within the Russian Federation." Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview conducted on Tuesday and published on Wednesday that Moscow would avoid compromises that would endanger people's lives.

"Agreements on Moscow's terms, not Washington's"
He reiterated Russia's stance that it would under no circumstances accept the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine should a lasting peace settlement be reached. A Russian member of parliament also emphasized that any agreement would be concluded "on Moscow's terms, not Washington's".

At the same time, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said that contacts with the USA would not be ruled out in the coming days. US President Donald Trump had previously announced that there would be a meeting with Russian representatives later on Tuesday or Wednesday. 

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: "The presence of NATO troops in Ukraine is not acceptable."

(Bild: AFP/POOL/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

US arms assistance resumed
According to Kiev, the USA resumed the interrupted military aid for the attacked country immediately after talks with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia. "I have confirmation that US security assistance has been resumed," wrote the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential chancellery, Pavlo Palissa, on Facebook. "The agreements are being fulfilled." A high-ranking government representative in Kiev also said that the US is now sharing intelligence information again.

"Ukraine has agreed to accept the US proposal to implement an immediate, temporary 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties and which must be accepted and simultaneously implemented by the Russian Federation," read the wording on the ceasefire proposal. 

Top representatives of the EU expressed their satisfaction with the outcome of the consultations between the USA and Ukraine. "We welcome today's news from Jeddah on the talks between the US and Ukraine, including the proposal for a ceasefire agreement and the resumption of intelligence sharing and security assistance by the US," said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President António Costa in the evening. 

Air strikes: Civilian ship hit
According to Ukrainian reports, five people were killed in Russian missile attacks on the cities of Odessa and Kryvyi Rih. Four Syrian citizens on a ship were killed in an attack on the port in Odessa, Governor Oleh Kiper wrote on Telegram in the morning. One Ukrainian and one Syrian were also injured. The ship that was hit was a civilian vessel that had just been loaded with wheat for export to Algeria.

A woman was killed in a rocket attack on the town of Kryvyi Rih in south-eastern Ukraine, the military governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Serhiy Lysak, wrote on Telegram. Nine people were injured in the attack on Zelenskyi's hometown and there was damage to the infrastructure. Another man was injured in the city of Dnipro. According to the civil defense, there was also damage after drone attacks in the Kiev region. According to media reports, the Russian air defense destroyed 21 drones of the enemy. There were no reports of damage.