After Jeddah talks, Russia must prove willingness for peace

He said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

"Both negotiating delegations deliberately agreed to this arrangement, understanding that after yesterday’s discussions, everything now depends on the Russian Federation. In other words, the ball is in Russia's court. Now they must show their willingness for peace. There have been speculations that Ukraine was not ready for peace, but yesterday, Ukraine demonstrated that it is indeed ready for both peace and a ceasefire as the first step toward it," Zhovkva said.

According to him, if Russia rejects the ceasefire, it will "show the world... its true nature."

The Deputy Head of the Presidential Office noted that initial official reactions from Russian officials have already emerged, but emphasized that "the real response must come from one person."

"And there will be a conversation with this person (Russian President Vladimir Putin - ed.), as far as I understand, on the American side by the end of the week. So we will see how ready Russia really is," Zhovkva said.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, on March 11, negotiations took place in Saudi Arabia between representatives of Ukraine and the United States. As a result, the Ukrainian delegation supported the U.S. proposal for a complete 30-day ceasefire along the entire front line. This arrangement could be extended by mutual agreement, provided that Russia accepts and adheres to it simultaneously.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine