Ceasefire in sky: Details about Zelenskyy’s initiative and whether Russia to agree

Initiative for air and sea ceasefire

Last week, after an argument in the Oval Office, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left the White House early and traveled to London, where a summit of European leaders discussing support for Ukraine took place. The head of state met with, among others, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Following this summit, Starmer stated that his country and France, along with possibly "one or two other participants," would work with Ukraine on a ceasefire plan that would later be presented to the United States.

Macron shared that this plan involves a limited "ceasefire in the air, at sea, and in energy infrastructure" for one month. Later, reports emerged from UK Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard that London and Paris had not agreed to this proposal. According to him, "various options are being considered on the table."

"No agreement has been reached on what the ceasefire would look like. But we are working together with France and our European allies to find a way to create a lasting and strong peace in Ukraine," said Pollard.

At the same time, today, media reports informed that Starmer, Macron, and Zelenskyy might fly to Trump next week. The purpose of the trip is to "present a united front" and introduce a peace plan to the US President, according to the UK tabloid Daily Mail, citing diplomatic sources.

According to Daily Mail, the ceasefire could begin with a ban on air and sea bombings by both sides. Yesterday, Zelenskyy posted on the social network X, emphasizing that he was "ready to work quickly to end the war," and also expressed Ukraine’s willingness to sign an agreement with the US on mineral resources.

"We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky - ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure - and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same. Then we want to move very fast through all the next stages and to work with the US to agree on a strong final deal," Zelenskyy wrote.

In his speech to the US Congress, the American president, who wants an "immediate ceasefire," thanked Zelenskyy for his statement the day before.

"An important letter from President Zelenskyy... a letter that says Ukraine is ready to sit at the negotiating table as soon as possible to achieve a long-term peace... that his team is ready to work under the strong leadership of President Trump," said the US President.

In turn, the Ukrainian side also made a brief statement. The Head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, wrote that "Russia must stop its daily shelling of Ukraine immediately if it truly wants to end the war."

Whether Russia to agree

As the serviceman of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and military expert Oleksandr Musiienko told to RBC-Ukraine, Russia is currently preparing for a massive missile strike on Ukraine. However, whether the enemy will carry out the attack now is difficult to say. And here’s why.

"If after these statements (Trump's on the ceasefire and Zelenskyy's initiative - ed.), Russia responds with a massive missile-drone attack, it will indicate their unpreparedness to discuss any air ceasefire at this time. At the same time, it will show that Ukraine has acted constructively and pragmatically by making these proposals," Musiienko explained.

In such a way, all the blame would naturally fall on Russia, demonstrating that the country does not seek to initiate any dialogue regarding a ceasefire. So now "the ball is in the Kremlin’s court," the expert noted.

"The thing is, they (the Russians - ed.) might cancel (the massive missile - ed.) attack. And the issue here is not the weather conditions but rather that Russia may be willing to halt strikes. Why? It’s important to understand that Ukraine is striking their targets. So they feel the pain too; they also suffer losses and damage. And this is a tool," Musiienko said.

He recalled that Ukraine previously could not force Russia to stop its strikes because it lacked the means to do so, as it did not conduct strikes on Russian territory.

"Now we are saying that we are ready not to strike if Russia takes this step (air ceasefire - ed.). And so I think that under pressure and increased attacks on their targets, they may cancel their strikes on us. And if they don’t, it will demonstrate their unwillingness to establish any air ceasefire," the Ukrainian expert concluded.

Meanwhile, the statements from Ukraine, the US, and other Western allies regarding a ceasefire come at a time when Washington’s military support for Kyiv has been put on hold.

As The Wall Street Journal wrote the day before, citing American officials, this pause could last until "Trump decides that Zelenskyy supports peace negotiations with Russia."

For more details on what this suspension of US aid means and what it could lead to, read our material on the topic.

Sources: Statements from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump, Head of Ukraine's Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, a Daily Mail article, and an exclusive comment from the serviceman of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and military expert Oleksandr Musiienko.