A State Department spokesperson said Thursday that Ukraine and Russia are “just a breath away from a full ceasefire” after three years of war.
“We are just a breath away from a full ceasefire, and then we can begin to talk about not just peace for a week or six months, but an enduring peace that the people of Ukraine and Russia and the world can rely on, and that is what America has helped facilitate, and that’s what we’re continuing to do each day,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told anchor Nichole Berlie on “NewsNation Now.”
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky backed a push from President Trump for a limited ceasefire with Russia.
“One of the first steps toward fully ending the war could be ending strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure. I supported this step, and Ukraine confirmed that we are ready to implement it,” Zelensky said on the social platform X.
“We believe that such steps are necessary to create the possibility for a comprehensive peace agreement to be prepared during the ceasefire.”
The U.S. had previously proposed that the Ukrainians and Russians pause energy facility and infrastructure attacks as a first step in the direction of a large peace deal. President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin talked Tuesday on the phone for a few hours, and Zelensky and Trump talked Wednesday.
Since the president’s return to office in January, the Trump administration has set out on a mission to end the Russia-Ukraine war, which passed its three-year mark last month.
“We have never been closer to peace with these two parties,” Bruce said on Thursday.
