During his daily media briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the matter, stating that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz were expected to first brief Moscow on the ceasefire terms discussed at U.S.-Ukrainian talks in Saudi Arabia earlier this week.
“Rubio and Waltz indicated that they would provide us with detailed information on the discussions in Jeddah through various diplomatic channels. We must first receive this information. Additionally, we have scheduled contacts with the Americans in the coming days, during which we expect to gain a full understanding,” Peskov told reporters.
For Moscow, this moment is shaping up to be a crucial test—one that may demand difficult compromises if it genuinely seeks peace.
The Kremlin has consistently claimed openness to negotiations while maintaining that it must achieve its expansive war objectives, including securing full control over annexed Ukrainian territories.
Just last week, Vladimir Putin—the Kremlin strongman who ignited this brutal war three years ago—promised a group of grieving widows and mothers of fallen Russian soldiers that Moscow would never “give in.”
While many Russians, weary of the conflict and its devastating economic toll, may hope for an end to the fighting—potentially leading to relief from crippling sanctions—pro-war hardliners, often emboldened by the Kremlin, will view any early ceasefire as a betrayal.
Some form of concession may be unavoidable.
Even if Russian negotiators manage to secure certain conditions—such as a Ukrainian withdrawal from Kursk, the small Russian pocket now fiercely contested—it remains unlikely that Moscow’s broader territorial ambitions, let alone its demand to push NATO away from its western flank, will be met.
Likewise, there may some acceptance of any Russian calls for limitations on Ukrainian long-range weaponry. But as this stage, demands for the demilitarization of Ukraine, a stated Russian war aim, are likely to be seen as a step too far.
The Kremlin’s response is also a moment of truth for the oddly warm Putin-Trump relationship.
For weeks, Russians have reveled, gleefully, in America’s apparent shift in their favor, a move that has bewildered Washington’s traditional Western allies.
The two countries are engaged in significant talks aimed at rebuilding economic and diplomatic ties, most recently an agreement was reached between the CIA and the Russian foreign intelligence service, the SVR, to reduce confrontation between Moscow and Washington, according to an SVR statement.
Even Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov – until recently a harsh critic of Washington – has welcomed the fresh US stance toward Moscow.
“I think what is going on in the United States is a return to normalcy,” he told US bloggers when asked whether the US had changed since Trump’s second inauguration.
But in exchange for all the courting, concessions and praise, Trump may now expect the Kremlin leader to play ball – or risk his wrath.
Indeed, “the ball is now in their court,” is precisely what US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said of the Russians after his talks with Ukrainian officials concluded in Jeddah. On Wednesday, the top US diplomat suggested that Moscow is “probably processing” the news of the temporary truce “the same as the rest of the world.”
Trump, of course, prefers a poker metaphor.
Just days ago, Trump claimed “Russia holds all the cards.” Now, intentionally or not, he may have called Putin’s bluff.
