KYIV: Kyiv will propose an aerial and naval ceasefire with Russia during talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday (Mar 11), a Ukrainian official told AFP on Monday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has floated the proposal as a way to initiate talks to halt more than three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“We do have a proposal for a ceasefire in the sky and ceasefire at sea because these are the ceasefire options that are easy to install and to monitor and it’s possible to start with them,” the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Zelenskyy, whose officials are meeting the US side less than two weeks after his disastrous White House appearance with President Donald Trump, said Russia was the “only reason” the war was carrying on.
Trump has renewed communications with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and criticised Zelenskyy, raising fears in Kyiv and among European allies that the US leader may try to force Ukraine to accept a settlement favouring Russia.
He has also paused US military aid to Ukraine and halted US intelligence-sharing with Kyiv.
Russia could gain leverage on the battlefield if the intelligence pause is protracted, the Ukrainian official told AFP.
“The main thing is how long it will last. If it lasts a long time, it will give the Russians a significant advantage,” the source said.
