Following phone calls with US President Donald Trump and several European leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced uncertainty over Russia’s readiness to commit to a ceasefire, citing a lack of trust in Moscow’s intentions. “I don’t know the principles from the Russian side,” Zelenskyy said. “As I understood from our dialogue with US President Trump, the Russian side wants to send us a memo on how they see the principles, and they want to see not only a ceasefire; they want some more principles.” Zelenskyy welcomed Trump’s proposal for a full ceasefire without preconditions, saying, “I was very happy when President Trump proposed a full ceasefire without any conditions or preconditions. We’ve been ready for this. So these are our principles: ceasefire and then other steps, an exchange of prisoners.” However, the Ukrainian President stressed that trust remains a major obstacle. “I really count on it that everybody is very interested in a ceasefire. Too many losses; we really want to finish this war. I’m not sure that Russia is ready and we don’t trust them. And that’s what we want from them: a ceasefire, at the first step, to show that they’re really ready to stop the war.” He added that he maintains close contact with international partners. “I always share with all our partners, with the United States, with Europeans…” Zelenskyy’s remarks follow Trump’s announcement that Russia and Ukraine would “immediately” begin negotiations toward a ceasefire, with the Vatican offering to host the talks. Previous efforts, including the Istanbul round, failed to produce lasting results despite an agreement to exchange prisoners.
