USA – Serious stage in US-Russia negotiations: Will Putin cease fire?

Washington is waiting for a response from Russia regarding the proposal to stop fire in Ukraine by the end of this week. This was announced by US President Donald Trump.

“We will hear their response in the very near days. We want to stop the killings,” he said.

Trump also indicated that a deal between the US and Ukraine regarding natural resources could be signed by April 24. This deal will serve to cover the “debt” of military assistance provided to Ukraine. According to Bloomberg, this amount has been reduced from 300 billion dollars to 100 billion during negotiations.

What happens if Putin does not agree?

According to Axios, if Russia does not stop fire by the end of April, the US is ready to intensify sanctions. This may include imposing tariffs of up to 500% on countries purchasing Russian oil.

According to Fox News, Trump is unhappy with Putin for prolonging the negotiations. The White House is also discussing taking harsh measures against Russia's “shadow fleet”.

What will happen with the energy moratorium issue?

On April 18, the moratorium on mutual strikes against energy facilities between Russia and Ukraine will end. The Kremlin has not yet provided official information about extending it. Yuri Ushakov, assistant to the Russian president, stated that “clear signals” have been given to the US.

What is the Kremlin saying?

Dmitry Peskov stated that there are complexities in the negotiations:
“The process is going quite complicated,” he emphasized. The Kyiv regime and EU countries are cited as the reason for this.

According to The Moscow Times, Putin is still maintaining a maximalist position in the negotiations. The Russian side has demanded the full administrative borders of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson to be incorporated into the RF. Additionally, it has been proposed to capture part of Dnipropetrovsk or Sumy and then exchange it.

What do you think: Will Russia stop fire or are new pressures expected?