US officials reportedly told high-ranking political representatives of Western European supporters of Kiev at their meeting in Paris that they can expect a ceasefire within the next few weeks, according to Bloomberg. According to the news portal, which cited unnamed sources, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and US Senator Marco Rubio presented the timeline leading up to the ceasefire during the meeting, which was hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Europeans reportedly attempted to convince the US diplomats that Donald Trump should escalate his approach towards Moscow. The US representatives referred to this as the latest attempt by the Europeans to influence the talks.
Last week, Steve Witkoff, a Trump confidant, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg. Witkoff described the meeting with Putin as productive. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Witkoff of echoing Russian narratives.
Russian diplomats, however, see significant obstacles on the path to a ceasefire. One of these obstacles is that the Western European supporters of the Kiev regime are hindering the peace efforts of the US.
On Thursday, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, argued that Kiev has not fulfilled its commitments under the ceasefire agreement mediated by the US, which involved a moratorium on attacks on the opponent’s energy infrastructure. Nebenzia also accused Western European countries of using past peace talks to arm Ukraine. Against this backdrop, it is unrealistic to urgently demand an immediate complete ceasefire.
“I cannot speak for President Trump” said Nebenzia. “Maybe he knows better.”
The 30-day moratorium on attacks on the opponent’s energy infrastructure ended on March 18 and expired this week. When asked if Russia would change its military strategy, the spokesperson for the President, Dmitry Peskov, said that Putin has not issued any new directives.