Zelensky offers partial ceasefire with Russia to restart peace talks

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a new framework for a partial ceasefire with Russia on Tuesday, posting on X that Kyiv would be willing to release prisoners and agree to a truce that would ban long-range attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure.

The offer came after the Trump administration declared that Zelensky was not ready for peace and froze the US military assistance that Ukraine has been relying on to battle the Russian invasion.

“Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal,” Zelensky wrote, while reiterating his appreciation for US support. For days Republicans have criticised him for being not adequately thankful on his trip last week to Washington, where an Oval Office meeting erupted into an argument between him, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

Zelensky acknowledged that the way the meeting unfolded was “regrettable” in his post. “It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive,” he wrote.The offer came after Trump’s decision to pause aid sent shock waves across Ukraine and Europe, stoking concerns about how the move might weaken Kyiv on the battlefield and fueling calls for Europeans to step up to fill the gaps that would emerge.

The idea for a partial ceasefire was originally floated by France, which suggested a potential one-month “truce in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure,” which could be better monitored than ground fighting along the lengthy front line. If it holds, a truce could be paired with negotiations on security guarantees and other issues, and followed by a potential European troop deployment in the event of a settlement.

The pause in aid shocked Ukraine, which has relied heavily on US weapons over the past three years of war. Military analysts say it has enough equipment at least for the next few months to hold the line. Sustaining the fight over the long run, however, will be a struggle without additional sources of weaponry.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday in a news conference — which included profuse thanks for US efforts to date — that the country was rallying funding to build up its own defense capabilities. Ukraine is already producing 30 percent of weaponry and equipment used on the front line, and by the end of the year, it will produce 50 percent, he said.

“We have to be self-reliant,” he said. “Our existence is at stake.” He added that Kyiv remains ready to sign the minerals agreement with the United States, which was planned last week before the Oval Office clash between Trump and Zelensky.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed reports of the US pause in his daily news briefing on Tuesday, calling it “a decision that can really push the Kyiv regime toward the peace process” and “the best contribution” to accelerating the war’s end.