Washington’s ceasefire proposal: U.S. must work with Ukraine, Europe to press Russia to make concessions

Editorial

16:20 JST, March 13, 2025

Having obtained Ukraine’s cooperation as a new bargaining chip, can the United States press Russia to make concessions and achieve a ceasefire for the first time? The true value of peace through strength diplomacy sought by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is being tested.

Senior officials from the U.S. and Ukrainian governments held talks in Saudi Arabia. Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the U.S. proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire.

The joint statement did not clearly say that the United States would be involved in the security guarantees to prevent more Russian aggression, as Ukraine has sought. In this respect, the statement is likely to leave Ukraine dissatisfied.

Nevertheless, Ukraine agreed to the U.S. ceasefire proposal only because it prioritized repairing relations with the Trump administration.

The United States paused its military assistance to Ukraine and the sharing of classified information after talks between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy broke down at the end of February. The suspension has made it difficult for Ukraine to ascertain the movements of the Russian military, and there were concerns about the damage spreading to civilians and others.

Therefore, it is good news that the statement clearly stated the immediate resumption of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine. Although the Trump administration’s method of intimidating Ukraine is problematic, it may have judged that Moscow would gain an advantage and Washington’s position would weaken in the negotiations with Russia if talks between the United States and Ukraine remained broken off.

The Trump administration will soon begin negotiations with the Russian side. To achieve a ceasefire, it will be essential to get Russia to accept the U.S. proposal and to ensure that the country will abide by the agreement.

As a condition of the ceasefire negotiations, Russia is demanding that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the four regions in the eastern and southern parts of the country that Russia has declared to be annexed. Moscow is also demanding that Kyiv abandon its aim of becoming a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Neither of these were included in the U.S. ceasefire proposal.

If the United States were to unconditionally accept Russia’s unilateral demands, it would be impossible to maintain the security of Ukraine and Europe. If the idea spreads that the United States just does whatever Russia wants, it is inevitable that Trump’s own prestige will be undermined.

Europe has indicated that it will strengthen its involvement in the defense of Ukraine. The United States should work closely with Ukraine and Europe and make all-out efforts to face negotiations with Russia.

Before and after the talks in Saudi Arabia, the Russian military stepped up its offensive, while Ukraine conducted a large-scale drone attack on Moscow. Fighting could further intensify as the countries try to gain an advantage in the ceasefire negotiations. Both sides are urged to exercise restraint.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 13, 2025)