Will Russia send a draft ceasefire proposal this week?

According to Anadolu, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on May 20 that the US hopes Russia will send a draft proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine this week, paving the way for peace negotiations.

"Based on the phone call between the US and Russian presidents and my conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov over the weekend, what we expect now is that at some point soon, possibly this week, Russia will send a draft proposal for a ceasefire," Mr. Rubio said on May 20.

"We hope that will happen. We believe that the Russian draft will clearly show their true intentions," the US Secretary of State commented.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Photo: YN.

"We expect them to send a list of realistic terms and we can work on that. But if they make unrealistic demands, that will say a lot about Russia's true intentions," Mr. Rubio continued.

As for next steps, Secretary of State Rubio said the decision on how to respond will be up to US President Donald Trump.

Previously, on May 19, Russian President Putin had a phone call lasting more than 2 hours with his US counterpart Donald Trump, mainly focusing on the Ukraine conflict.

In brief remarks to reporters afterward, President Putin said the two leaders agreed that Russia would propose a memorandum outlining the principles and timeline for a potential peace deal as well as other issues if necessary agreements were reached.

"We have agreed with US President Donald Trump that Russia will propose and is ready to cooperate with the Ukrainian side to draft a memorandum of understanding related to a potential future peace agreement.

This memorandum will include outlining a series of provisions, such as the principles of settlement, the timeframe for a potential peace deal and other issues, including a potential temporary ceasefire, if the necessary agreements are reached,” President Putin said.

President Putin also stressed that eliminating the root causes of the conflict in Ukraine is "the most important thing for us".

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