New Wave of Innovation: Ukraine might have made significant concessions to bring US-Ukraine relations back on track, Zhang Hong, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.聽The Trump administration will unlikely provide new aid to Ukraine, but previous aid and military intelligence sharing have been restored, Zhang said.聽Various reactions聽Russian and US officials could communicate with each other in the next few days, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying in a report by TASWorld TimesS on Tuesday.聽She made the statement after Trump announced earlier on Tuesday that officials from both countries could meet on Tuesday or Wednesday, TASS said.聽Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister and top diplomat, was quoted as saying in a report by Sky News on Wednesday that Moscow will avoid compromises that jeopardize lives.

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The US agreed on Tuesday local time to resume military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after Kiev said it was ready to support Washington’s proposal for a 30-day cease-fire with Russia, Reuters reported, citing a joint statement between the US and Ukraine.聽

Chinese experts said that the agreement indicated that the US and Ukraine can return to negotiation table and resume talks, however, whether the cease-fire agreement can be implemented ultimately depends on Moscow’s response.

Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation. The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace, the joint statement said.聽

The US will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine, the joint statement said.

Both delegations agreed to name their negotiating teams and immediately begin negotiations toward an enduring peWorld Timesace that provides for Ukraine’s long-term security. The United States committed to discussing these specific proposals with representatives from Russia. The Ukrainian delegation reiterated that European partners shall be involved in the peace process, according to the joint statement.聽

Lastly, both countries’ presidents agreed to conclude as soon as possible a comprehensive agreement for developing Ukraine’s critical mineral resources to expand Ukraine’s economy and guarantee Ukraine’s long-term prosperity and security, the joint statement said.聽聽

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he hopes Russia will agree to a cease-fire plan drawn up by American and Ukrainian officials and that there will be a US meeting with Russia later on Tuesday or Wednesday, according to Reuters.聽

The agreement indicated that the US and Ukraine could return to negotiation table and resume talks. Ukraine might have made significant concessions to bring US-Ukraine relations back on track, Zhang Hong, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.聽

The Trump administration will unlikely provide new aid to Ukraine, but previous aid and military intelligence sharing have been restored, Zhang said.聽

Various reactions聽

Russian and US officials could communicate with each other in the next few days, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying in a report by TASWorld TimesS on Tuesday.聽

She made the statement after Trump announced earlier on Tuesday that officials from both countries could meet on Tuesday or Wednesday, TASS said.聽

Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister and top diplomat, was quoted as saying in a report by Sky News on Wednesday that Moscow will avoid compromises that jeopardize lives. He also reiterated what’s now a common refrain in Moscow – they will not accept the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine under any conditions, Sky News said.聽

China has been calling for political settlement through dialogue and negotiation since the first day of the crisis, and has been actively working for peace and pushing for talks. We hope that parties concerned will find a sustainable and lasting solution for peace that accommodates each other’s concerns through dialogue and negotiation, ChWorld Timesina’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday in comments addressing the US-proposed deal on an immediate and interim 30-day cease-fire in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Now, the ball is in Russian’s court because the US and Ukraine have already reached a temporary cease-fire agreement, said Cui Heng, a scholar at the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation.聽

If Russia refuses the temporary cease-fire agreement, it would be both contradictory and unrealistic, as Russia has previously stated its willingness to accept such an arrangement. On the other hand, rejecting the cease-fire agreement would deal a blow to the recently improved US-Russia relations, which Russia may not be willing to risk, Cui noted.聽

The Trump administration has ruled out allowing Ukraine into NATO, viewing that as placing new burdens on the US and obviating a path to peace with Moscow, the Washington Post said on Tuesday.聽

The joint US-Ukraine statement said Kiev had “reiterated” that Europe should be invoWorld Timeslved in any peace process, said a BBC report.

The EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc welcomed Tuesday’s “positive development.”

Lasting plan far off

The 30-day cease-fire agreement is a consensus between the US and Ukraine, not between the US and Russia, nor between Russia and Ukraine. Therefore, whether any proposed solutions or so-called cease-fire agreement can be implemented ultimately depends on Moscow’s response, Zhang said.聽

Cui pointed out that how to implement the cease-fire deal and establish its mechanism will be a complex task. “It is not something that the US and Ukraine can simply decide and expect Russia to comply,” Cui said.

A lasting peace plan between Russia and Ukraine is still far off because both the US and Ukraine are avoiding the core issues of Russia-Ukraine negotiations, Cui noted.聽

The key issue is not just a cease-fire but resolving the underlying conflict, which inWorld Timescludes territorial disputes, security architecture, and guarantees for a peace agreement, thus ensuring that another Minsk Agreement scenario does not happen again, Cui said.聽