Donald Trump has called for a 30-day ‘unconditional’ ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
In an intervention that piles pressure on the two sides, the US President warned his country and its partners will impose further sanctions if the month-long truce ‘is not respected’.
It comes just days after the Trump administration said it will step aside in peace negotiations in a bid to ensure Ukraine and Russia engage in direct talks.
But the US President’s latest remarks indicate America was willing to continue its role as a mediator.
‘Talks with Russia/Ukraine continue. The U.S. calls for, ideally, a 30-day unconditional ceasefire,’ Trump said on his Truth Social network shortly after speaking to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
‘If the ceasefire is not respected, the U.S. and its partners will impose further sanctions.’
Trump said that ‘both countries will be held accountable for respecting the sanctity of these direct negotiations’ to halt the conflict that started when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
The US president said he wanted any ceasefire to then build to a ‘lasting peace.’
‘It can all be done very quickly, and I will be available on a moment’s notice if my services are needed.’
Trump opened talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in February in a bid to end the war that he had previously pledged to end within 24 hours of starting his second term.
But he has shown growing impatience, first with Zelensky and more recently with Putin as the fighting has continued.
Trump and other top US officials have stepped up warnings in recent weeks that Washington is prepared to walk away from its role as a broker if there is no progress soon.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke with Trump today, adding that their telephone call went ‘very well’.
He said his country was ready for talks on the war with Russia ‘starting this minute’ and ‘in any format’ but insisted that there first had to be a full ceasefire.
The conversation lasted about 20 minutes and focused on ‘diplomacy and the ceasefire’ that the United States and Ukraine are trying to establish with Russia, a senior Ukrainian official.
The official added that the two leaders also discussed a minerals deal ratified by the Ukrainian parliament.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Zelensky wrote: ‘Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire starting right now, from this very moment — a 30-day silence.
‘But it must be real. No missile or drone strikes, no hundreds of assaults on the front. The Russians must respond appropriately – by supporting the ceasefire.
‘They must prove their willingness to end the war. This isn’t the first time, we are offering this once again.
‘Thirty days that could become the beginning of years of peace. A ceasefire, lasting and reliable, will be a real indicator of movement toward peace.
‘America can help with this. The world needs America now just as it did eighty years ago.’
Russian President Vladimir Putin for his part ordered a three-day ceasefire for Thursday’s 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, for which Moscow threw a vast military parade attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Ukraine dismissed the ceasefire as theatrics and said that Russia had broken its own order after just a few hours.
Earlier this week US Vice President JD Vance said Moscow was asking for too much from Ukraine.
The US and Ukraine signed a minerals deal last week – just two months after the extraordinary Oval Office row between the countries’ leaders.
The agreement is based on access to Ukraine’s natural resources, including aluminium, graphite, oil and natural gas, in exchange for ongoing military support.
Days before the deal was signed, the White House said it will step back from mediating peace talks between Ukraine and Russia after a ceasefire deal was spurned by Vladimir Putin.
Tammy Bruce, a spokesman for the State Department, said the US would no longer ‘fly around the world at the drop of a hat’.
Instead, she added, Washington will be leaving negotiations ‘between the two parties’.