Ukrainian President Proposes Ceasefire Until Meeting With Putin Is Realized

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy/PHOTO via X @ZelenskyyUa

JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed implementing a ceasefire until a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin could be regulated.

"My proposal, which I believe can be supported by our partners, is that we propose a ceasefire to Russia until leaders meet," Zelenskyy said.

Peaceful negotiations on June 2 with Russia in Istanbul have made little progress in ending the three-year war in Ukraine, apart from the exchange of proposals and plans for a major exchange of prisoners of war, which Zelenskiy says will take place this weekend.

Most recently, Moscow said the military option was "on the table" to respond to the Ukrainian attack on Russia and accused the West of involvement in it.

Russia also urged the United States and Britain to control Kyiv after the attack.

British and US officials said they had no prior knowledge of Ukraine's attacks on Russian long-range bombers with nuclear capabilities on military bases over the weekend.

Ukraine also tried to blow up rail and highway lines with Crimea on Tuesday.

Russia said Kyiv blew up the highway bridge on a passenger train on Saturday night.

US President Donald Trump's envoy to Ukraine said the risk of an escalation of the war "increasing drastically" after an attack on a nuclear-capable bomber.

A week earlier, Trump rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin for a devastating airstrike against Ukraine.

"We urge London and Washington to react in such a way as to stop further escalation," said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who oversees relations with the US and arms control.

"All options are available," Ryabkov said, when asked what Russia's response to the Ukrainian attack was.

"This is a question for our military," he said.