Good Opportunity To End War, Says Ukrainian President

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that he saw a good chance to end the war with Russia after Ukraine accepted a US proposal for a 30-day interim ceasefire and Moscow said it would only agree if certain conditions were met.

“Right now, we have a good chance to end this war quickly and secure peace. We have solid security understandings with our European partners,” Zelensky said on X. “We are now close to the first step in ending any war — silence,” he said, referring to a truce.
Earlier, Zelensky also accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of sabotaging diplomatic efforts to secure peace in Ukraine. “He is now doing everything he can to sabotage diplomacy by setting extremely difficult and unacceptable conditions right from the start even before a ceasefire,” Zelensky said in a post on X.

Speaking to reporters, Zelensky urged the US and other allies to apply pressure on Moscow, reiterating his belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin will delay reaching a ceasefire as long as possible.

“If there is a strong response from the United States, they will not let them play around. And if there are steps that Russia is not afraid of, they will delay the process,” Zelensky told media.

Good opportunity to end war, says Ukrainian president

He said that the ceasefire along a more than 1,000-kilometre frontline could be controlled with US help via satellites and intelligence. Washington resumed intelligence sharing and military aid after US and Ukrainian officials met in Saudi Arabia this week and Ukraine accepted the ceasefire.

‘PRODUCTIVE TALKS’

US President Donald Trump said on Friday his administration had “productive” talks with Russia about a ceasefire in Ukraine, urging counterpart Vladimir Putin to spare Ukrainian soldiers on the front line.

Trump posted on social media after his envoy, Steve Witkoff, held a lengthy meeting with Putin on Thursday night in Moscow that Trump described as “very good and productive.” “There is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end,” he said.

The US president said thousands of Ukrainian troops were “completely surrounded” by the Russian military and “in a very bad and vulnerable position.” “I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II. God bless them all!!!”

Russia will spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers in its western Kursk region if Kyiv tells them to surrender, Putin said on Friday after Trump urged him to avoid a “horrible massacre” there.

Putin, addressing his Security Council, said he had read Trump’s appeal. While accusing Ukrainian troops of carrying out crimes against civilians that he said amounted to “terrorism” — something Kyiv denies – Putin said he understood the call by Trump to take humanitarian considerations into account.

“In this regard, I would like to emphasize that if (the Ukrainian troops) lay down their arms and surrender, they will be guaranteed life and decent treatment in accordance with international law and the laws of the Russian Federation,” Putin said.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday called on Russia to accept a proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine made by Washington and Kyiv, and stop making statements aimed at “delaying” the process.

In a post on X, Macron also called on Moscow to stop its “acts of violence” in Ukraine, saying he had discussed the ceasefire proposal with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier on Friday.

Agencies