Russia discusses sanctions relief with US in exchange for ceasefire without guarantees
Photo: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Russian authorities, together with the American side, are trying to find ways to ease sanctions against Russia, an informed source in the Ukrainian government told RBC-Ukraine.
According to the source, Russia’s alleged willingness to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine could be used as a bargaining chip to justify the easing of sanctions.
"They want to initiate talks on a ceasefire at some point and try to agree, for example, on a week-long truce. In return, some sanctions would be partially lifted. The US would get headlines about the ceasefire on the front line, while Putin would receive partial sanctions relief and higher revenues. It’s a kind of trade without any security guarantees, which cannot be acceptable to Ukrainians," the source said.
He linked such ideas, in part, to the approaching US congressional elections and cited the example of sanctions relief for Belarus. In that case, Alexander Lukashenko agreed to release some political prisoners in exchange for the gradual easing of sanctions, including those related to Belarusian potash, without fundamentally changing his policies.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously not ruled out such a scenario. In an interview with Bloomberg, he suggested that Russia could offer a ceasefire in exchange for lifting sanctions on certain companies or reconnecting banks to SWIFT.
"For Ukraine, all this is a big risk," the President stressed.
Russia and the ceasefire
Earlier this year, Ukraine and Russia had a so-called Easter ceasefire. However, the Russian army did not stop its combat operations during that period.
Yesterday, following a call between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, talk emerged in Moscow about a possible ceasefire for May 9 - the day Putin plans to hold the military parade.
According to Zelenskyy, the Kremlin is seeking to ensure the parade passes calmly. Ukraine, the President said, will not allow a ceasefire to be used for tactical deception on the battlefield.
