The Diplomat
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, on Wednesday positively assessed the agreement reached the previous day between the United States and Ukraine to propose a 30-day truce with Russia.
Ukraine and the United States reached an agreement this past Tuesday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the resumption of security and intelligence assistance from Washington to Kyiv and to offer a 30-day truce to Russia as a first step toward peace negotiations. Moscow has not yet responded to the offer.
During his official visit to Finland, Sánchez welcomed Ukraine’s acceptance of the United States’ proposal for an immediate 30-day ceasefire and warned that Russian reciprocity is “key.” “The progress we’ve received from the meeting in Jeddah is a first step in the right direction,” declared the Prime Minister, who asserted that the European Union is ready to play its part in the peace negotiations because “this is an existential issue for Europe.”
For his part, Albares expressed his hope that Moscow would accept “the outstretched hand” offered by Ukraine to agree to a 30-day truce that would allow for a “lasting, just, and comprehensive peace.” “A ceasefire proposal is always good news if it’s a first step,” the minister told the press in the corridors of Congress.
He also praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, “who always thinks of peace and doesn’t want this war, just as he never has.” “This is a one-man war, and the same man who started it can end it today,” Albares added. The EU and Spain will stand by Ukraine “as long as necessary for peace to win,” he concluded.
