Peskov’s comments come after a summit Tuesday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security adviser Mike Waltz and their Ukrainian counterparts in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
The 7-hour negotiations did not identify specifics about how the war might end, but concluded with both sides agreeing in principle to a monthlong ceasefire.
Rubio said Wednesday his team “will have contact” with Russia later that day “and we’ll see what their response is.”
“We’re going to bring it to them directly. We’re going to say that Ukraine is prepared to stop all battlefield activity and begin an immediate process of negotiating an enduring end of the war,” Rubio told reporters during a layover in Ireland’s Shannon Airport, on the way back to Washington, D.C.
“If their response is ‘yes,’ then we know we’ve made real progress, and there’s a real chance of peace. If their response is ‘no’, it will be highly unfortunate, and then it’ll make their intentions clear.”
Putin has so far offered zero concessions to end the war, nor has he been asked for any by Trump, who by contrast has suggested Ukraine may have to give up the fifth of its territory controlled by Russia, while agreeing never to join NATO.
“If Russia “says ‘yes,’ one thing we will have to determine is who both sides trust to be on the ground monitoring small arms fire,” Rubio said Wednesday.
Russia has a well-documented history of violating numerous ceasefires with Ukraine over the past decade. Putin says he does want a truce, but only on terms that amount to little more than Ukrainian surrender.
Nevertheless, French President Emmanuel Macron was among the Western leaders to welcome “the progress made in the talks” on Wednesday, writing on X that “the ball is now clearly in Russia’s court.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it an “important moment for peace in Ukraine.” He said in a statement that “Russia must now agree to a ceasefire and an end to the fighting too.”
Some hardline voices in Moscow, however, appeared wary or outright hostile toward the deal hashed out by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security adviser Mike Waltz, and the Ukrainians in the Saudi city of Jeddah. Those pro-war figures fear that a ceasefire will allow Ukrainians to regroup and rearm — something Ukrainians also fear from the Russian military.
Russia’s position would not be determined “abroad due to some agreements or efforts of some parties,” Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. Rather, she told the state-run Radio Sputnik station, “The establishment of the position of the Russian Federation happens within the Russian Federation.”
The “ceasefire agreement will not work,” said Alexander Dugin, an ultranationalist philosopher sometimes referred to as ‘Putin’s Rasputin’ thanks to his long beard and ties to the Kremlin.
“Putin will not accept a ceasefire as Russia many times clearly said before, without discussing the conditions of solid peace. Trump this time is wrong,” Dugin wrote in a post on X.
Rubio and Waltz emerged with the proposal after around 7 hours of talks with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Andriy Yermak, the chief of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s presidential office.
They agreed to resume the flow of U.S. aid and intelligence sharing to Ukraine. Ukrainian officials also said they would be willing to enforce an immediate 30-day ceasefire.
Rubio said it would be up to Moscow whether to accept.
“We’re going to tell them this is what’s on the table: Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking. And now it’ll be up to them to say yes or no,” the Secretary of State told reporters Tuesday. “If they say no, then we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here.”
Even if Putin were to agree to this interim détente, there remains a gulf between the positions of Russia and Ukraine, which wants security guarantees before signing a ceasefire with a giant neighbor that has violated past agreements.
Richard Engel and Gabe Joselow contributed.
