Trump demands ‘30-day unconditional cease-fire’ between Russia and Ukraine after Zelensky call

( NYPost )

President Trump again pushed for a 30-day cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine Thursday after speaking by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, promising to “stay committed to securing Peace” after earlier threatening to walk away from talks between the warring nations.

“Talks with Russia/Ukraine continue,” Trump, 78, posted to Truth Social. “The U.S. calls for, ideally, a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. Hopefully, an acceptable ceasefire will be observed, and both Countries will be held accountable for respecting the sanctity of these direct negotiations.”

“If the ceasefire is not respected, the U.S. and its partners will impose further sanctions,” he added.

Zelensky, 47, described his call with Trump on X as a “good conversation,” during which the two presidents “welcomed the Ukrainian Parliament’s ratification” of the US and Ukraine’s newly inked mineral deal that will see the nations splitting profits 50/50 from the sale of new mining and drilling licenses on Ukrainian territory.

“We discussed the need for continued efforts to achieve peace, including concrete steps that could be taken,” Zelensky said. “President Trump inquired about the situation on the battlefield, and I provided a brief overview. I also informed him that Ukraine is ready for a 30-day ceasefire, starting even today.”

Zelensky further noted that Ukraine and the US are “waiting for Russia to support this proposal.”

“I also reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to engage in talks in any format,” Zelensky said. “But for that, Russia must demonstrate the seriousness of its intentions to end the war, starting with a full unconditional ceasefire.”

Trump said that such a cease-fire “must ultimately build toward a Peace Agreement,” adding that “it can all be done very quickly” and that he “will be available on a moment’s notice if my services are needed.”

“Thousands of young soldiers are dying on a weekly basis, and everybody should want it to STOP. I do, and the United States of America does, also,” he wrote. “As President, I will stay committed to securing Peace between Russia and Ukraine, together with the Europeans, and a Lasting Peace it will be!”

Trump’s statement comes just weeks after he threatened to abandon his administration’s efforts to broker a peace deal with Russia and Ukraine, citing in part frustration with Moscow’s unwillingness to agree to a cease-fire or make any concessions to end its war.

Zelensky also said he and Trump “agreed on further contacts.”

“President Trump confirmed that he wants this war to end, is ready to help, and supports the need for a ceasefire,” he wrote on X.

During the call, which took place on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, Zelensky said the two “congratulated our nations on Victory in Europe Day — the victory over Nazism.”

Zelensky’s remark was an apparent shot at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that he invaded Ukraine in part to “denazify” the country — a false allegation that has received widespread condemnation from the Jewish community.

“I think that Putin and Russia (should not) disturb the blessed memory of the Holocaust. Don’t use [the word] ‘denazification’ — Ukraine isn’t a Nazist country,” Kyiv chief rabbi Moshe Reuven Azman told The Post Thursday. “73% of the country voted for Zelensky [in 2019], and he is Jewish.”

The Trump-Zelensky call also happened the same day Putin cozied up to Chinese President Xi Jinping for talks in Moscow. 

During the visit, the authoritarian leaders signed a document “strengthening” their “strategic partnership,” and discussed “the most important issues” including the Ukraine conflict and Russia-US relations, according to the Kremlin Press service.