U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested that Russia may be intentionally delaying ceasefire negotiations in Ukraine.
“I think Russia does want to bring this to an end, but they might be stalling,” Trump said to Bloomberg. “I’ve done that myself in business—holding off on signing a deal just to stay in the game a bit longer.”
Trump also mentioned that the U.S. is reviewing Russia’s ceasefire proposals in the Black Sea, following recent talks held in Saudi Arabia from March 23 to 25.
“We’re looking into all of them. There are about five or six demands,” Trump said.
Among those, Russia has reportedly asked for the lifting of sanctions on Rosselkhozbank and other banks tied to agricultural exports, as well as on shipping companies and vessels under the Russian flag involved in transporting food and fertilizer.
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The U.S. has put forward a 30-day ceasefire plan as a starting point for ending the war. “It’s difficult to negotiate a long-term peace while fighting is still going on,” explained Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed conditional support for the idea but noted that there are “nuances” to consider. One concern he raised was how to ensure both sides stick to any agreement while military aid continues to flow into Kyiv.
According to sources cited by The Moscow Times, the Kremlin appears to be intentionally slowing down peace talks in hopes of gaining more territory. “Time is working in our favor right now, and we plan to use it,” said one Russian diplomat.
Another source suggested that Moscow is counting on either the U.S. turning a blind eye to further Russian advances, or pressuring Kyiv to pull back from occupied regions. While Russia doesn’t have full control over Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, Putin has declared them part of Russia in the constitution and is unwilling to give them up, an insider close to the Kremlin said.
At a closed-door meeting with business leaders on March 18, Putin reportedly stated there is no reason to expect the war to end soon, according to Kommersant. He said that unless Ukraine formally recognizes Crimea and the four new regions as part of Russia, the Kremlin will launch offensives on Odesa and other Ukrainian areas.
