Russia has responded after President Trump warned that there'll be "devastating" punishment if they don't agree to a new deal.
The conflict, which began in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, has now stretched into its third year.
In an effort to help bring it to an end, American and Ukrainian officials met in Saudi Arabia for negotiations.
The talks, which reportedly lasted eight hours, appeared to be far more productive than the controversial meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and former U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House last month.
Following the negotiations, the U.S. and Ukraine released a joint statement outlining their goal of securing a 30-day ceasefire agreement with Russia.
The joint statement read: "Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the U.S. proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation."
"The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace. The United States will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine," they continued. "The United States committed to discussing these specific proposals with representatives from Russia. The Ukrainian delegation reiterated that European partners shall be involved in the peace process."
"Lastly, both countries’ presidents agreed to conclude as soon as possible a comprehensive agreement for developing Ukraine’s critical mineral resources to expand Ukraine’s economy and guarantee Ukraine’s long-term prosperity and security," the statement concluded.
Donald Trump has since added pressure on Vladimir Putin's nation, warning that failing to comply could lead to severe repercussions.
"We could do things very bad for Russia," he told reporters, per Evening Standard. "Would be devastating for Russia. But I don’t want to do that because I want to see peace."
The 78-year-old president made it clear that the next move is in Putin’s hands, stating, "It is up to Russia now."
“Hopefully, we can get a ceasefire from Russia... that would be 80% of the way to getting this horrible blood bath [to end]," he added during an Oval Office meeting with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
Meanwhile, the US has reaffirmed its military and security assistance to Ukraine, though discussions regarding a raw minerals deal remain unresolved.
While Ukraine and the U.S. have remained in close communication, Russia claims it has been deliberately left out of key discussions.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed frustration in an interview with pro-Kremlin U.S. bloggers, telling them: "Nobody is talking to us."
"They keep saying, ‘nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,’ but they do everything about Russia without Russia," he added, cited by The New York Post.
Lavrov further emphasized that Russia will not sign any agreement that could jeopardize its citizens' safety and reiterated the country’s firm stance against NATO involvement in Ukraine.
Ukraine has long sought NATO membership, but Russia has remained adamantly opposed to the idea. According to Reuters, any potential peace agreement would require assurances that NATO troops will not be stationed in Ukraine under any circumstances.
Additionally, Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly demanding international recognition of Russia’s claim over Crimea, which was previously part of the Soviet Union.
Despite Lavrov’s assertion that Russia has been excluded from negotiations, Moscow has presented a list of demands to the US, refuting claims that it has been kept out of talks.
Many of these demands mirror those previously made during discussions with the Biden administration in 2021 and 2022 - meetings that ultimately failed, leading to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
