Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday that he “immediately agreed” to a U.S. proposal for an unconditional ceasefire, stating that Russia remains the sole barrier to achieving peace.
In a series of posts on X marking Military Volunteer Day, Zelenskyy emphasized that no one desires peace more than Ukraine, where Russia’s so-called “special military operation” has persisted for over three years. He noted that U.S. President Donald Trump has initiated negotiations to end the war.
“When our team in Jeddah heard this proposal, they contacted me, and I immediately agreed,” Zelenskyy said. “We do not want to play games with war. Every day of war means losing the lives of our people – the most valuable thing we have.”
Ukraine accepted the ceasefire proposal during negotiations with the U.S. earlier this week. In response, Washington resumed military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv, which had been suspended following a heated exchange between Zelenskyy, Trump, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the White House last month.
Zelenskyy accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of employing stalling tactics and refusing a genuine truce. While Putin has expressed agreement with a ceasefire in principle, he insists on addressing the root causes of the conflict.
“Yesterday, we heard from Putin—he’s putting forward conditions that clearly show he does not want any ceasefire. He needs war—this has always been obvious, and it is obvious now,” Zelenskyy said, further accusing Putin of misrepresenting the situation on the battlefield.
He urged Ukraine’s allies to apply strong pressure on Moscow to prevent further delays. “Putin will try to drag everyone into endless discussions, just like he did with ‘Minsk,’ wasting days, weeks, and months on meaningless talks while his guns continue to kill people,” he warned.
Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for its mediation efforts and reiterated Ukraine’s willingness to work on a structured peace plan once a ceasefire is in place.
“The U.S. proposal is a chance to stop the war quickly. But it requires decisive steps to ensure Russia complies,” he added.