Russian invasion Negotiations

US report: Putin in no hurry for peace and can use nuclear weapons

Donald Trump wants to bring the war to a quick end, but according to US intelligence, it may be difficult, Bloomberg reports.

For Vladimir Putin, “positive trends on the battlefield allow for a certain strategic patience,” says the latest US intelligence report released ahead of the Senate hearings that are underway on Tuesday.

Russia’s inability to achieve quick and clear military gains, as well as Ukraine’s attacks on Russian soil, continue to “raise concerns that Putin may use nuclear weapons.”

For Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelensky, an agreement in which Ukraine gives up territory and is forced into neutrality without security guarantees could lead to a backlash at home and future uncertainty, according to the report.

Ukraine's US ambassador Oksana Markarova told Bloomberg that her country wholeheartedly supports a full ceasefire.

- We need Russia to agree to it, she says.

Kremlin's new offer: No ceasefire without sanctions

The ceasefire in the Black Sea that both sides have agreed to according to the US will not come without Russian demands.

This is shown by a statement from the Kremlin.

The Black Sea agreement with the US will not come into force until US sanctions are lifted against Russia's Rosselkhozbank and "other financial institutions" involved in international trade in agricultural products and fertilizers, the Kremlin writes.

These financial institutions will also be reconnected to the international payment system Swift, the Kremlin writes.

US: Both accept ceasefire in the Black Sea

Ukraine has promised not to use military means in the Black Sea and Russia has also agreed to avoid attacks in the Black Sea, the White House said according to AFP.

Both countries “have agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea,” the White House said in a statement.

At the same time, the US will help Russia regain access to world markets for agricultural products and fertilizers, a statement said.

These products have never been subject to direct US sanctions, but the US has strangled Russian access to payment systems used in international transactions, writes AFP.

For this to happen, however, the US must lift sanctions against certain Russian banks and companies, the Kremlin said.

The Kremlin also stated in a later statement that the ceasefire will not apply until these sanctions have been lifted.