Moscow said it needed more information from Washington before deciding whether to join Kyiv in accepting a US plan for a 30-day ceasefire, as Ukraine vowed never to recognise Russian rule over occupied territory even in the event of any peace deal.
Flows of US military aid and intelligence to Ukraine resumed on Wednesday after agreement between the two countries in Saudi Arabia a day earlier, but Kyiv’s forces appeared to be withdrawing from areas of the Kursk region of Russia that they seized last summer.
“We expect that, as they said in Jeddah yesterday, US [officials] will inform us about the details of the talks and the agreements reached via various channels in the coming days. First, we must receive this information,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Several Russian politicians, analysts and commentators – all of whom support Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of its pro-western neighbour – were at best cautious and in some cases hostile towards the US ceasefire plan that was quickly backed by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
“The main news for us will come from here. The positions of the Russian Federation are not formed abroad due to some agreements or the efforts of some parties,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said of the Jeddah talks.
Konstantin Kosachev, deputy speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament, said the terms of the Jeddah agreement “are American, not Ukrainian – the Ukrainians agree with what they are told”.
“Russia is advancing, and this is why it will be different with Russia. Any agreements – with all understanding of the need for compromises – are on our terms, not American ones ... Real agreements are still being written there, at the front. This is something that Washington should also understand.”
Russia claimed that its troops were now quickly retaking territory in the Kursk region that borders Ukraine, which Kyiv had hoped to use as a “bargaining chip” in any talks with Moscow. Several sources said Ukrainian troops appeared to be withdrawing from the town of Sudzha and other areas, but it was not clear if the move was prompted by military or diplomatic developments amid intensive talks with US officials.
[ US says ‘ball in Russia’s court’ after Ukraine agrees to 30-day ceasefireOpens in new window ]
Mr Zelenskiy said of the Kursk region: “The Russians are without doubt putting maximum pressure on our forces. The military command [of Ukraine] is doing what it should – preserving the maximum number of lives of our warriors”.
During a stop-off in Shannon on his way back to Washington from Jeddah, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said it is “now it’s up to Russia to say yes” to a ceasefire.
“If they say no, then obviously we’ll have to examine everything and sort of figure out where we stand in the world and what their true intentions are ... It will tell us a lot about what their goals are and what their mindset is,” he added.
Mr Zelenskiy said he expected “strong steps” from the US if Russia rejected the ceasefire plan, and reiterated that Ukraine would never recognise Moscow’s rule over occupied areas even if a peace deal were agreed.
“Our people fought for this, our heroes gave their lives. So many have been wounded, so much has been endured. That is why no one will forget about it. When I say no one will forget, these are our fundamental red lines,” he said.
Historians note that most western states never formally recognised the Kremlin’s occupation in 1940 of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which regained their independence when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
Officials said US military aid and intelligence started flowing to Ukraine again on Wednesday, after Mr Trump halted both last week.
[ Dizzying turnaround in US-Ukraine relations leaves all eyes on RussiaOpens in new window ]
