Yesterday, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, held online meetings with U.S. Special Presidential Envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, as well as with Diplomatic Adviser to the President of France Emmanuel Bonne, National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Jonathan Powell, and Foreign Policy and Security Adviser to the Federal Chancellor of Germany Günter Sautter.
Conversations were also held with diplomatic representatives of the Nordic and Baltic countries, the European Council, and the European Commission.
The talks involved Ukraine's Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov, Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha, Deputy Head of the Office of the President Ihor Zhovkva, and Advisors to the Head of the Office of the President Dariia Zarivna and Oleksandr Bevz.
The main topic of discussion was the implementation of an unconditional and full ceasefire for 30 days, which Ukraine accepted upon the proposal of the United States during the March meeting in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).
Andriy Yermak emphasized that a full and unconditional ceasefire should be the first stage and a precondition for negotiations aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin's proposal for a three-day truce is aimed solely at ensuring the security of the Moscow parade, not at achieving peace.
The parties also discussed possible means of exerting pressure on Russia in case it refuses to accept the ceasefire proposal or violates the complete silence agreement.
"A 30-day ceasefire would open the way for substantive negotiations toward achieving a just and lasting peace. If Moscow agrees to this proposal, we are ready for dialogue with the participation and support of the United States and European partners. However, if the Kremlin once again chooses escalation over peace, the collective response of our partners must be decisive. Therefore, Ukraine welcomes the draft bill, prepared by members of Congress led by Lindsey Graham, on imposing secondary sanctions on Russia," Andriy Yermak noted.