Russia has rejected the idea of a temporary ceasefire which had been proposed by US President Donald Trump’s administration.
The US came to an agreement with Ukraine on 11 March, as the two countries were on board with a 30-day ceasefire with Russia.
America also said they would be resuming military aid and intelligence with Ukraine.
However, Vladimir Putin’s appears to have ruled out what they are referring to as a short term fix.
“We believe that our goal is a long-term peaceful settlement, we strive for this, a peaceful settlement that takes into account the legitimate interests of our country, our well-known concerns,” Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian President, told the Russia-1 TV channel.
“It seems to me that no one needs any steps that imitate peaceful actions in this situation.”
Trump previously said there could be a ‘very bad’ punishment for Putin if he didn’t accept the ceasefire with Ukraine.
He warned that the US could take actions ‘that wouldn’t be pleasant in a financial sense’ for Russia.
Vladimir Putin’s Russia has dismissed the idea of a ceasefire with Ukraine (Kremlin Press Office/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“We could do things very bad for Russia. Would be devastating for Russia. But I don’t want to do that because I want to see peace,” the 78-year-old explained.
“They never took anything from me. They took them from Obama and Bush, and they took from sleepy Joe Biden.
“With Biden, they wanted to take the whole country, but I think I’ve stopped that, but we’ll see.”
Sir Keir Starmer – who has just announced the abolishment of NHS England – called the agreement between the US and Ukraine a ‘remarkable breakthrough’.
Prior to Russia’s dismissal, the Prime Minister said: “I warmly welcome the agreement today in Jeddah and congratulate President Trump and President Zelensky for this remarkable breakthrough.
US and Ukraine relations have been tested over the past 30 days (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“This is an important moment for peace in Ukraine and we now all need to redouble our efforts to get to a lasting and secure peace as soon as possible.”
He added: “As both American and Ukrainian delegations have said, the ball is now in the Russian court. Russia must now agree to a ceasefire and an end to the fighting too.”
Trump has also said he would welcome Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy back into the Oval Office following their public spat last month (28 February).
The pair were sat in front of the cameras discussing the ongoing war in Russia, and a minerals agreement.
Although, it didn’t take long for things to boil over.
Vice President JD Vance told Zelenskyy that he should express gratitude for US’s military support to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy attempted to respond while highlighting the ongoing challenges his country still faces.
This is when Trump went on to criticise him, warning that Ukraine was ‘gambling with world war three’ without US support.
