US expects Russia-Ukraine ceasefire this week

According to TASS news agency on May 21, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US government hopes to receive from Russia a list of conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine this week.

"So what we expect now, based on the call between the two leaders, and my conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov over the weekend, is that at some point, hopefully soon, maybe in a few days, maybe this week, we expect the Russians to present the terms of a ceasefire that they want," Secretary of State Rubio said at a Senate Finance Committee hearing.

“Just the general conditions that allow us to move toward a ceasefire, and that ceasefire will allow us to engage in detailed negotiations to end the conflict,” Mr. Rubio added.

According to Secretary of State Rubio, President Donald Trump is delaying sanctions as long as possible to maintain leverage over the parties in the Ukraine conflict.

“We did the best we could because we were able to talk to both sides. Obviously, only one side is receiving US aid and only one side is subject to US sanctions. But nevertheless, we think it is important to maintain the ability to talk to both sides. President Trump is very understanding and has stated many times that he has sanctions options available that he can use, if he really perceives that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not interested in negotiating. But at the same time, I think President Trump is committed to preventing bloodshed, preventing devastation, and he wants to maintain, to the extent possible, the ability to influence both sides in a peaceful direction,” Secretary of State Rubio said at the hearing.

Mr. Rubio believes that the proposals that Russia is preparing for a peaceful solution in Ukraine will show Moscow's determination to end the conflict.

"We haven't seen any movement toward peace. We understand that Russia will put in place the conditions necessary for a ceasefire that will allow for broader negotiations. We're waiting for those conditions, and then we'll have a much better understanding of Putin's calculations when we see what those conditions look like," Rubio added.

Asked whether he believed Russia was approaching negotiations to resolve the Ukraine issue in good faith, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “that question remains open.”

According to him, the US wants a long-term solution to the conflict in Ukraine, not "a three-month peace followed by continued military operations".