President Trump on Thursday called for a 30-day “unconditional” ceasefire in Ukraine and threatened sanctions if it is not “respected.”
Trump made the call in a post on Truth Social shortly after holding a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “Talks with Russia/Ukraine continue. The US calls for, ideally, a 30-day unconditional ceasefire,” the president said.
“Hopefully, an acceptable ceasefire will be observed, and both Countries will be held accountable for respecting the sanctity of these direct negotiations. If the ceasefire is not respected, the US and its partners will impose further sanctions,” Trump added.
The president’s call with Zelensky came after the Ukrainian parliament ratified the US-Ukraine minerals deal, although there was contention about two technical agreements that still need to be signed to fully implement the deal.
Zelensky’s government hasn’t shared the details of the two technical agreements, leading Ukrainian MPs to add an amendment to the ratification. According to POLITICO, the extra paragraph says “that ratifying the main economic agreement does not mean lawmakers will automatically approve another the two technical side deals that they have not yet been shown.”
After speaking with Trump, Zelensky said they “welcomed the Ukrainian Parliament’s ratification of the Economic Partnership Agreement — a truly historic document that opens up many new opportunities for cooperation.”
The Ukrainian leader said he also welcomed the idea of a 30-day ceasefire. “I also informed him that Ukraine is ready for a 30-day ceasefire, starting even today. We are waiting for Russia to support this proposal,” he wrote on X.
The Trump-Zelensky call came after Russia declared a three-day ceasefire for Russia’s celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union defeating Nazi Germany in World War II. Zelensky rejected the truce, and the two sides have accused each other of violations.
