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The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump aims to reach a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine by Easter, which falls on April 20.
Bloomberg reported this on Sunday, citing informed sources, according to Ukrinform.
“The Trump administration has told European officials that it wants to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine by Easter,” the publication quotes officials as saying.
However, some officials have expressed doubts about the feasibility of this goal, noting that the pace of negotiations, set to begin this week in Saudi Arabia with high-level representatives from the U.S. and Russia, is ambitious and potentially unrealistic.
“Getting a resolution by the end of this year is much more likely,” the publication states, citing another source. Meanwhile, the White House has not provided a comment on the matter.
Trump initiated his peace efforts with a phone call to Vladimir Putin last week. Following this, Europe was reportedly shocked when Trump’s new Secretary of Defense stated that the European side would be responsible for providing security guarantees and peacekeeping forces in Ukraine after an agreement is reached.
Bloomberg also cites European officials who argue that the U.S. strategy risks playing into Putin’s hands, as Trump has conceded significant leverage even before negotiations have begun.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is set to host a summit on Monday with the leaders of Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark. Together with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, they plan to discuss their response and next steps.
As previously reported, senior officials from the U.S. and Russia will meet next week in Saudi Arabia to discuss the possibility of a Trump-Putin meeting later this month.
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