US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he hopes Russia will accept the proposal for a truce with Ukraine, as he met Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House at a critical moment in US relations with the transatlantic military alliance.
His comments come after Russian President Vladimir Putin said he supports the idea of a 30-day ceasefire but suggested direct talks with Mr Trump to discuss details.
"A lot of the details of final agreement have actually been discussed, now we're going to see whether or not Russia is there, and if they're not, it'll be a very disappointing moment for the world," Mr Trump said.
The US President also referenced Mr Putin's "very promising statement" on the US proposal but said "it wasn't complete".
"I'd love to meet with him or talk to him, but we have to get it over with fast," he added. Mr Putin said the truce proposal "in itself is correct and we support it", but added there were "questions that need to be discussed", including what happens while fighting is paused. He added that Russia's willingness to back a ceasefire depended on it being part of a peace plan that "removes the initial reasons for the crisis".
Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, claiming it posed a threat to Russia and that it was persecuting Russian speakers in the eastern part of the country. It has also rejected Ukraine's potential joining of Nato.
White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was in Moscow for a visit aimed at pushing through the truce agreement. Mr Witkoff, who has also headed negotiations on Gaza ceasefire talks, was reportedly expected to meet Mr Putin.
Ukraine agreed to the deal on Wednesday, after a meeting in Saudi Arabia between delegations from Kyiv and Washington. Following the announcement, the US said that it would resume weapons shipments to and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Mr Trump, who took office less than two months ago, wants to swiftly end the war on Ukraine and cut US military aid to Kyiv, three years after Russia's full-scale invasion. He has upended decades of US foreign policy and advanced instead his signature “America first” agenda, antagonising allies and seeking rapprochement with Russia, a historical foe.
The President has frequently questioned US commitment to the 32-member alliance, saying member states do not pay their fair share of defence contributions. Mr Rutte, has consistently echoed Mr Trump's message that Europe needs to invest more in its own security.
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To mark the third year of the Ukraine-Russia war, The National looks back at some of the striking images captured during the conflict. Getty Images -
Ukrainians working at the site of a rocket strike on the 'Okhmadyt' children's hospital in Kyiv in 2024. EPA -
A woman walks past a memorial wall dedicated to fallen defenders of Ukraine in downtown Kyiv in 2024. EPA -
A damaged town sign in Orikhiv, near the frontline in the Zaporizhzhia region, in 2024. EPA -
Gravediggers prepare the burial site for victims of a Russian missile strike in Hroza in 2023. Getty Images -
Widow Lubov Doroshenko, 67, returns to her destroyed home in 2023 in Bohorodychne. Getty Images -
A Ukrainian serviceman of the 24 Separate Mechanized Brigade fires a mortar towards Russian positions, at an undisclosed location in the Donetsk region in 2023. EPA -
Emergency workers search the remains of a residential building that was struck by a Russian missile in Dnipro in 2023. Getty Images -
Ukrainian national flags waving over the graves of fallen Ukrainian soldiers in a military cemetery in Kharkiv in 2023. EPA -
A woman walks by destroyed buildings 20 miles west from the front lines of fighting in the Donetsk Region in 2023. Getty Images -
A view taken through the broken glass of a window overlooking the site of a damaged residential building in Dnipro in 2023. EPA -
Numbers mark the graves of unidentified people killed during fighting at the cemetery in Mariupol in 2022. EPA -
Ukrainian servicemen shoot from a captured Russian 152, 4mm howitzer Msta-B on a front line near Kupyansk city in 2022. EPA -
A prothesis is adjusted on an Azov Regiment serviceman at a rehabilitation centre in Kyiv in 2022. EPA -
Cars drive past the shell of a rocket in Shevchenkove, Kharkiv region, in 2022. EPA -
A Ukrainian serviceman rests while travelling with a team of humanitarian volunteers in the Kherson area in 2022. EPA -
A destroyed bridge in Kupiansk in 2022. Getty Images -
A girl arrives at an evacuation point for people fleeing Mariupol, Melitopol and the surrounding towns under Russian control in 2022. Getty Images -
The mother of Ukrainian serviceman Andrii Verkhoglyad holds her son's portrait during his funeral ceremony at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv in 2022. EPA -
Self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic militia monitors a section of the road near Avdiivka, Donetsk region, in 2022. EPA -
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a warehouse after it was hit by Russian shelling in Kharkiv in 2022. Getty Images -
A Ukrainian soldier waves the Ukrainian national flag while standing on top of an armoured personnel carrier in Hostomel in 2022. Getty Images -
A man pushes his bike through debris and destroyed Russian military vehicles in Bucha in 2022. Getty Images -
Residents of Irpin flee heavy fighting in 2022. Getty Images -
A child on a swing outside a residential building damaged by a missile in Kyiv in 2022. Getty Images
Former Dutch prime minister Mr Rutte said one of his goals is to step up defence production in the US and Europe, because output was trailing behind that of behind Russia and China. He also credited the US President with breaking the deadlock in the Ukrainian conflict.
“You started the dialogue with the Russians and the successful talks in Saudi Arabia now with Ukrainians," he said. "I really want to commend you for this."
The US President's approach has unsettled much of Europe. Last month, France's President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer made visits to the White House, urging the US President not to withdraw his support for Ukraine.
But a recent Oval Office meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy ended in a shouting match and Mr Trump accusing the Ukrainian President of not being grateful for US military support.
Also concerning to European countries and other Nato members is Mr Trump's commitment to the alliance. He threatened to withdraw from Nato during his first term and has questioned the merits of Article 5 of the alliance's charter, which commits signatories to come to the defence of any member that is attacked. He has pointed to the failure of many members to spend the recommended 2 per cent of GDP on defence.
