The Kremlin broke its silence, delivering its initial reaction to Kyiv and the White House’s agreement proposing a temporary ceasefire to the war in Ukraine.
This comes after the United States agreed to immediately lift a pause on intelligence sharing and resume providing assistance to Ukraine, providing a 30-day ceasefire during a seven hour negotiation in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
In response the Kremlin said they were wary of “jumping the gun” following talks and would hear from Washington directly about a call between the U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin this week.
“We are carefully studying the statements made as a result [of the talks], we will familiarise ourselves with the text of the joint statement which was adopted in Jeddah,” Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Paskov told NBC reporters.
“We proceed from the fact that, as was said yesterday in Jeddah, Secretary of State Rubio and National Security Advisor Waltz will inform us via various channels these days about the details of the negotiations that took place and the understandings reached [there].”
Putin said on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT) that the Russian military must defeat Ukrainian forces that have seized the Kursk Region "in the shortest possible time".
During his visit, he observed Russian forces continuing a major counteroffensive against Kiev's remaining forces.
A meeting with military commanders was held during the President's visit, along with a report from General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff. He thanked the troops and the General Staff in the region.
“Our goal is to inflict a defeat upon the enemy entrenched on the territory of Kursk Region on short notice,” the President said, mooting a “security zone” along the border with Ukraine. The Ukrainian units in the region should be treated as “terrorists”, he said.
Rubio said his team will reach out to Russia and see how they respond.
"If their response is 'yes', then we know we've made real progress, and there's a real chance of peace. If their response is 'no', it will be highly unfortunate, and then it'll make their intentions clear,” he said.
While there have been muted reactions from Russia on the matter, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zaharova said they would not be pushed into action for the latest talks.
“Establishment of the Russian Federation’s position does not happen abroad due to some agreements or efforts of some parties. The establishment of the position of the Russian Federation happens within the Russian Federation,” she said, according to an NBC News translation.
The Russian chairman of the international affairs committee of the upper house of Russia’s parliament, Konstantin Kosachev said that any deal will be on Moscow’s terms, not Washington’s.
“Russia is advancing [in Ukraine], and therefore it will be different with Russia,” he said on Telegram, according to NBC News reporting.
“Real agreements are still being written there, at the front. Which they should understand in Washington, too.”
