Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed hope that the United States will impose strong measures against Russia if Moscow fails to uphold a 30-day ceasefire agreed upon during high-level negotiations in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Speaking on the outcome of the discussions, Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine expects new sanctions and increased military support if Russia disregards the agreement.
The ceasefire deal was reached in Jeddah, where US Secretary of State Marco Rubio led a US delegation, while Ukraine's delegation included Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Describing the meeting as "very positive," Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of maintaining unity with the United States, following tensions that arose after his contentious meeting with Donald Trump at the White House two weeks ago.
In Moscow, the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said Russia was awaiting detailed information from Washington about what was discussed in Jeddah and that Vladimir Putin must first be briefed by the US before deciding whether the proposal would be acceptable to Russia.
He added that the Kremlin could organise a call between Putin and Donald Trump at short notice if needed.
Rubio confirmed the US would have contact with Russia on Wednesday about the ceasefire agreement reached with Ukraine, though he stopped short of spelling out what consequences Russia might face if it did not agree.
“We all eagerly await the Russian response and urge them strongly to consider ending all hostilities,” Rubio said during a stop in Ireland. “If they say no, then obviously we’ll have to examine everything and sort of figure out where we stand in the world and what their true intentions are.”