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It is "going to be up to the Russians and Ukrainians now that each side knows what the other's terms for peace are. It's going to be up to them to come to an agreement and stop this brutal, brutal conflict," U.S. Vice President JD Vance said.
"Vladimir Putin's Russia has made no effort, has sent no sign that it is ready for the ceasefire or the peace that President Donald Trump aspires to, and that the Europeans and, of course, the Ukrainians aspire to," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.
"I think this is a strong signal to the Russian leadership and it gives President Trump the ability to now negotiate with Russia on an even stronger basis as opposed to the daylight that had been previously created between the U.S. and Ukraine," U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business on May 1.
New Western intelligence suggests that Russian President Vladimir Putin may have shifted his immediate war objectives towards holding occupied Ukrainian territories as well as growing his country's struggling economy, CNN reported on May 1, citing Western officials familiar with the matter.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised France’s leadership in building support for a peace agreement, but stressed that European partners must “step up with real resources and political will” if they hope to bring the war to an end.
Naftogaz Group, Ukraine's state-owned oil and gas giant, reported a net profit of Hr 38 billion ($913 million) for 2024, marking a 64% increase from the previous year, the company announced on May 1.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the minerals agreement — which sets up a joint investment fund between Kyiv and Washington — had been significantly revised during months of negotiations to ensure equal terms and benefits for both sides.
When asked about the current state of negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, Vice President JD Vance told Fox News "the first and necessary step of getting the Russia-Ukraine conflict solved is to get each of them to make a peace proposal.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has imposed new sanctions against a number of individuals and entities, including former presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych, pro-Kremlin commentators, and several major Russian companies.
According to New York Post sources, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has even used Kremlin translators during discussions with Putin — a breach of standard U.S. diplomatic practice.