The UK was instrumental in securing the cease-fire accord in Ukraine following a hectic week of diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving this goal.
Donald Trump
‘US back on track with
Kyiv
.
British diplomats were ‘closely engaged’ in establishing the suggested 30-day truce that was declared following a day of discussions in Saudi Arabia yesterday.
The truce, which has not been approved by Vladimir Putin’s Russia, occurs mere weeks following an unpleasant incident in the Oval Office involving Trump and the Vice President.
JD Vance
teamed up against Ukraine’s President Zelensky.
UK sources told the
BBC
that Sir
Keir Starmer
orchestrated a unified European initiative to reunite the two countries in Jeddah.
Jonathan Powell, who serves as the National Security Advisor, has taken on a significant role—having been seen engaging with officials from the Ukrainian administration over the weekend, during which he assisted in formulating their proposal.
The Ukrainian government stated that he and Andriy Yermak discussed various aspects crucial for achieving peace, including security assurances, the prerequisites for a truce, and maintaining sanctions against the Russian Federation.
It is also claimed that he met with his US counterpart Mike Waltz and officials from
Germany
and
France
To explore how a truce could be implemented and what consequences might follow thereafter.
As
Tony Blair
As the head of staff, Mr. Powell was among those who designed the plan.
Good Friday Agreement
which assisted in concluding the Troubles and ushering in peace
Northern Ireland
.
Sir Keir plans to hold a conference call with leaders from the group he calls the ‘willing coalition’ on Saturday. During this meeting, they will talk about their peacekeeping initiatives designed to deter potential conflicts.
Russia
This aims to prevent Vladimir Putin from making another effort to seize Ukraine should an agreement be made to conclude the current conflict.
After discussions between the White House and Ukrainian authorities,
Saudi Arabia
, Thge PM said
Both the American and Ukrainian delegations have stated that the responsibility now lies with Russia. It is up to Russia to consent to a ceasefire and halt the conflict as well.
The leaders participating in Saturday’s call with the Prime Minister are ‘prepared to assist in bringing this war to a fair and lasting conclusion, allowing Ukraine to maintain its liberty,’ Sir Keir stated additionally.
The Ukrainian president, Mr. Zelensky, stated that Ukraine is “prepared to embrace” the ceasefire offer and urged Russia to follow suit in a social media post on X.
“Ukraine is prepared to embrace this proposition—we view it as a constructive move and are willing to proceed with it. The next step lies with the United States to persuade Russia to follow suit. Should Russia concur, the truce will come into play right away,” he stated.
Mr Zelensky stated that he felt ‘thankful’ towards President Mr Trump for their ‘productive discussion,’ even though both leaders have experienced growing tension between them in recent weeks.
The US President, meanwhile, said he wanted to ‘get this show on the road’ and end the war in Ukraine after the agreement was reached.
Yesterday evening, the U.S. President stated that he would have direct talks with Putin, informing journalists: ‘
It takes two
To dance. I hope he agrees.”
But Russia
coordinated intense attacks throughout Ukraine mere hours afterward
.
The large-scale missile and drone assaults raised questions about
Putin
His readiness to agree with the demands for peace after the three-year conflict.
The intense night-long shelling included a dual missile attack that struck Kryvyi Rih, the city where Vladimir Zelenskyy was born.
Zelensky
came about when a 47-year-old woman in a trolleybus died as a result. Plumes of smoke were observed ascending from where the incident occurred.
In Odessa, Vladimir Putin’s troops struck and damaged a vessel registered under the flag of Barbados—a 587-foot-long dry bulk carrier transporting grain destined for Africa—resulting in four deaths and multiple injuries.
During an attack on Dnipro, Putin’s regime struck ten residential homes, shattered windows at a school and nursery, followed by one person being admitted to the hospital.
Russia deployed Iranian-made Shahed drones against Ukraine’s second-largest city.
Kharkiv
, while footage showed a blazing fire at a warehouse in Sumy after a Russian strike.
A strike on the Greek-managed MJ Pinar cargo vessel in Odesa appeared designed to hit both Ukraine’s exports of grain and desperately-needed supplies via Algeria to Africa.
The vessel was loading 30,000 tons of wheat when the strike hit, igniting a fire. Among the dead sailors were three Syrians and one Ukrainian, with a fifth crew member and a port employee injured.
One missile is reported to have struck the seawall causing extensive damage to the pier, the terminal’s grain store, and other infrastructure.
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