Ukraine-Russia ceasefire could be reached in “weeks” with President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin expected to discuss a possible truce.

Kiev accepted the fight this week after the United States fought in the Three Years’ War after meeting in Saudi Arabia this week. European allies in Washington and Kyiv also urged Moscow to accept it.

However, instead of giving a clear answer, Putin listed a series of conditions and raised “serious questions.”

Trump’s envoy to the conflict, Steve Witkoff met Putin for hours a few days ago CNN He believes “these two presidents will have excellent and positive discussions this week.”

He added that Trump said, “Maybe in the next few weeks, I do hope there is some kind of deal, and I believe that’s it.”

Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine accused the Kremlin of not wanting to end the war on Saturday. He warned that Moscow wanted to “improve the situation on the battlefield” first and then agree to any ceasefire.

Foreign Minister’s speech

Moscow said earlier that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to discuss “specific aspects of implementation understanding” at a US-Russian summit in Saudi Arabia last month.

The February Riyadh gathering is the first high-level meeting between the United States and Russia since its invasion was launched in February 2022.

“Sergei Lavrov and Marco Rubio agreed to keep in touch,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

State Department spokesman Tammy Bruce said on Saturday that the two were “discussing the next step” in Ukraine.

She also said Rubio and Lavrov “agree to continue their efforts to restore communication between the United States and Russia.”

Lavrov-Rubio’s call came hours after the UK held a virtual summit in Ukraine, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer accusing Putin of “sticking” over the ceasefire.

“Yes, but ‘from Russia is not good enough,’ he called for a halt to “a savage attack on Ukraine once and for all.”

Moscow has launched 90 Iran-made Shahed drones to 90 Ukraine’s regions, Kief said on Sunday.

Zelensky says Putin “lied”

In response to the ceasefire earlier this week, Putin said the initiative would benefit primarily from Ukraine as Russian forces are “advanced” in many regions. He raised “serious problems” about the plan.

The proposal is because Russia occupies Russia in southern and eastern Ukraine – with momentum in some areas on the frontline.

It has introduced Ukrainian forces from parts of its Kursk region, where Kiev hopes to occupy Russian territory as a potential bargaining chip in any future negotiations.

Putin said he wanted to discuss Moscow’s concerns with Trump on the phone.

Zelensky said on Saturday that Putin also disagrees with the ceasefire, opposes Trump (proposed a good deal to Russia), and accused Moscow of trying to find a way not to end the war.

He accused Putin of “liking a lie about how the ceasefire is too complicated”.

Ukraine said on Sunday that at the beginning of the Ukrainian invasion, a man was killed in the city of Izyum by a Russian drone strike that fell into Russia at the beginning of the Ukrainian invasion.

Also on Sunday, Zelensky announced Andriy Gnatov’s chief of staff, Anatoliy Bargylevych. Gnatov’s mission is to improve efficiency by armed forces.