The president also said he would “continue to commit” to end the war in Ukraine.
On May 8, President Donald Trump urged Russia and Ukraine to launch an unconditional 30-day ceasefire while US-led peace talks are underway.
Trump said a temporary ceasefire would “eventually have to be built towards a peace agreement,” and warned that the US would impose sanctions if the ceasefire is not respected.
“The talk with Russia/Ukraine continues,” he said in the Truth Social Post. “Hopefully an acceptable ceasefire will be observed and both countries will be accountable by respecting the sanctity of these direct negotiations.”
Trump also said he will “continue to commit” to end the war in Ukraine, despite his executive officials previously indicated that the US could abandon mediation efforts if there were no clear indications of progress towards the peace deal.
“It can all be done very quickly. If I need my services, I will be available with instant notification,” the president said.
“Thousands of young soldiers are dying every week, and everyone should want it to stop. I do, and the United States does.”
Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky told Trump in a call on May 8 that Ukraine is ready to launch a temporary ceasefire with Russia and is pleased that he will “engage in all forms of consultation.”
However, Zelensky said Russia must demonstrate that it is ready to end the war first. “Start with a complete, unconditional ceasefire.” This includes ending missile and drone strikes and stopping offensive attacks along the frontline.
“Ukraine is ready to start a ceasefire right now, starting from this moment of 30 days of silence. But it must be real,” he said at the video address. “Thirty days that could be the beginning of many years of peace.”
On April 30, the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin remained accepting a ceasefire and ultimately a peaceful reconciliation, but it still needs to resolve the issue.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously warned that if Russia and Ukraine do not enter into a peace agreement, the US government may abandon its efforts to mediate the end of the three-year war.
“I think they’re generally close at any time in the last three years, but they’re not there yet,” Rubio said in an interview with NBC News on April 27th.
Rubio said the US may choose to take action against those who resist efforts to end the war, but emphasized that “I don’t want to reach that stage yet, as I think it will close the door to diplomacy.”
The war in Ukraine has been underway since Putin completely invaded and sent thousands of troops in February 2022.
The two later accused each other of violating the armistice. The Russian army eventually resumed its “special military operations” after the ceasefire ended.
On April 28th, President Putin unilaterally declared a three-day ceasefire from May 8th to May 10th, commemorating the 80th anniversary of his victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Zelenskyy later dismissed the move as “another attempt at manipulation” by Russia.
“The ceasefire should be not just for a few days, but for returning to killing afterwards,” Zelensky said in his April 28 speech. “It must be immediate, complete and unconditional for at least 30 days to ensure it is safe and guaranteed. This is the foundation that can lead to real diplomacy.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andri Sibikha alleged that Russia had violated a three-day ceasefire from midnight to noon on May 8, including 464 attacks, including heavy weapons and 176 drone strikes.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said Ukraine had carried out 488 attacks on Russian targets and attempted to break through the borders of the Kursk region twice.
Ryan Morgan and Reuters contributed to this report.
