Russia's 20 Percent of Ukrainian Territory Annexed -- 'Root Cause of Crisis'

 

"The idea [of a ceasefire] is right -- and we support it -- but there are questions that we need to discuss."

"[A ceasefire should lead to] an enduring peace and remove the root causes of this crisis. We need to negotiate with our American colleagues and partners."

"Maybe I'll have a call with Donald Trump."

"It will be good for the Ukrainian side to achieve a 30-day ceasefire.We are in favour of it, but there are nuances."

"They [Ukrainian troops] are trying to leave, but we are in control. Their equipment has been abandoned."

"There are two options for Ukrainians in Kursk - surrender or die."

"How will those 30 days be used? For Ukraine to mobilize? Rearm? Train people? Or none of that? Then a question – how will that be controlled?"

"Who will give the order to end the fighting? At what cost? Who decides who has broken any possible ceasefire, over 2,000km? All those questions need meticulous work from both sides. Who polices it?"

Russian President Vladimir Putin

The Russian president will aim to exploit a truce, current and former senior European officials tell The Independent

"[I would] love [to meet the Russian leader and hope Russia would] do the right thing [and agree to the proposed 30-day truce]. We'd like to see a ceasefire from Russia."

"We've been discussing with Ukraine land and pieces of land that would be kept and lost, and all of the other elements of a final agreement."

"A lot of the details of a final agreement have actually been discussed."

"[As for Ukraine joining the NATO military alliance], everybody knows what the answer to that is."

U.S. President Donald Trump

Having humbled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Trump administration declared it would immediately lift suspension of military aid to Ukraine, and its intelligence sharing with Kyiv would be resumed, following a week when measures succeeded to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to engage in talks to end the war in Ukraine caused by invading Russian forces. Kyiv has stated its openness to a 30-day ceasefire, subject to a stated agreement from the Kremlin. 

 

Members of the National Police Special Purpose Battalion of Zaporizhzhia region fire a D-30 howitzer towards Russian troops on a frontline in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, March 7. REUTERS/Stringer

 

Senior officials from Ukraine and the United States met in Saudi Arabia to open talks on ending the three-year war that Moscow imposed on Kyiv. Only several hours earlier Russia shot down over 300 Ukrainian drones representing Ukraine's largest such attack since the initiation of the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Steve Witkoff, President Trump's special envoy, is scheduled to travel to Moscow, ostensibly to meet with President Putin.

 

On this occasion,  however, a senior Ukrainian delegation met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who when asked about expectations for the meeting replied "Good". Ukrainian officials seated across the table, included Ukraine's chief diplomat and its defence chief, neither of whom registered any facial expression that might reveal their opinion in the matter before them. 

"We had massive losses during this war, and we don't know yet how much more we'll have. We are suffering every day."

"Our kids are suffering, and we don't know how the future generation will be affected."

"[I know that compromises will be necessary to end the war, but they must be] reasonable."

Lena Herasymenko, Ukrainian psychologist

 

"If there is a ceasefire, it would only give Russia time to increase its firepower, manpower, missiles and other arms."

"Then they would attack Ukraine again."

Oleksandr, Ukrainian soldier

Ukrainian serviceman of Khartia brigade known by call sign “Krystal” fires M101 Howitzer towards Russian positions in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak informed reporters present as spectators that the most vital item was "how to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine". To that end, security guarantees were critical to ensure Russia would be prevented from invading Ukraine again at a future date. A massive attack in which 343 drones targeted ten Russian regions elicited no immediate comment from either Ukrainian or U.S. officials. Russia had launched 126 drones and a ballistic missile at Ukraine which the Ukrainian air force identified as an element of Moscow's relentless pounding of civilian areas.

 

According to Secretary of State Rubio the U.S. delegation would not propose specific measures to secure an end to the conflict, preferring instead to hear from Ukraine what they would be willing to consider. In this conflict over 95,000 Russian service members with the Russian military have died. As for Ukraine's casualty figures at December 2024, President Zelenskyy acknowledged a figure of 43,000 Ukrainian deaths of soldiers and officers, a figure that Western analysts believe is underestimated. 

"I'm not going to set any conditions on what they [Ukraine] have to or need to do."

"I think we want to listen to see how far they're willing to go and then compare that to what the Russians want and see how far apart we truly are."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Donald Trump has said he hopes Russia will "do the right thing"   Getty Images