Ukraine’s allies plan to slap Russia with sanctions if it refuses truce deal

KYIV(Ukraine): Ukraine’s Western allies including the US are threatening to slap Russia with more sanctions if Moscow fails to sign up to the 30-day truce in Ukraine proposed by the US, CNN reported.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday added the threat of additional sanctions from the US and “its partners” to his latest call for an “unconditional ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine that Moscow has repeatedly rejected, as per CNN.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the new Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz, are set to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Saturday morning, Starmer’s office said in a statement late on Friday, adding that the countries will “ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine” until Moscow accepts a ceasefire.

Trump has made ending the war in Ukraine one of his priorities and he has invested much effort into trying to get Russian President Vladimir Putin on board. Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff went to Russia four times to meet with Putin and there have been several other high-level meetings between US and Russian officials since Trump returned to the White House in January.

But despite offering some previously unthinkable concessions to Russia, the Trump administration has not been able to get Russia to agree to the limited ceasefire proposal, intended as opening a path towards a permanent truce.

The latest move by Trump marks another shift in US stance on the conflict, which had at times been sympathetic to Kremlin, CNN reported.

Just days ago, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatened the US would walk away from the talks if there is no progress. Instead, the US is now leading Ukraine’s other Western allies in trying to put more pressure on Russia.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hinted on Friday that an announcement outlining details of the ceasefire proposal is expected as early as Saturday.

He said that leaders of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” – a group of Western nations that have pledged to help defend Ukraine against Russia – will meet in Kyiv on Saturday, CNN reported. (ANI)