Russia offers Trump an “air truce” without ending the war: what does this mean for Ukraine
The Kremlin is exploring the possibility of a partial pause in air strikes on Ukraine — a so-called “air truce” that could be a concession to US President Donald Trump. And while Russia has no plans to end the war, such a move could have serious consequences for Kyiv and all of regional security.
This is reported by Bloomberg .
The Russian authorities are considering options for concessions to US President Donald Trump, including a temporary “air truce” with Ukraine.
According to journalist sources, this decision is related to an attempt to avoid secondary sanctions that Washington is threatening to impose in the coming days against countries that buy Russian oil, in particular China and India.
The idea of a “truce” involves a suspension of air strikes using drones and missiles – but only on condition that Ukraine agrees to this. However, a complete cessation of hostilities is not planned: according to sources, Putin is not ready to agree to a general ceasefire, since his troops continue to attack, and Russia’s military goals remain unchanged.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the meetings with US special representative Steve Witkoff “very important,” but declined to comment on potential agreements in advance. Witkoff’s visit to Moscow could take place as early as Wednesday , his fifth trip to Russia this year. He is expected to meet with Putin in person.
Political scientist Sergei Markov, close to the Kremlin, said: “Trump needs some kind of ‘gift’ from Russia. An ‘air truce’ could be just such a gift.”
Trump’s dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs is growing. After six phone calls with Putin since February, he has failed to achieve any concessions. Last week, he said that while the conversations with Putin were “pleasant and respectful,” they were immediately followed by the continued shelling of Ukrainian cities.
The idea of an air ceasefire was also supported by Alexander Lukashenko, who recently discussed it with Trump and Putin, but the Russian president himself refrained from public comments.
Meanwhile, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, has already met with Lukashenko and is planning a visit to Kyiv soon for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky. The latter reported a “productive” phone conversation with Trump, during which they discussed the Russian shelling of Kyiv and sanctions pressure on Moscow.
Russia has sharply stepped up airstrikes in recent weeks, including a record number of drones, while Moscow continues to demand neutral status from Kyiv and recognition of the annexation of Crimea and four partially occupied regions.
Kyiv has categorically rejected such conditions, insisting on a full ceasefire as a prerequisite for peace talks. In May, under US pressure, Putin had already agreed to a 72-hour pause, and in March, Ukraine and Russia allegedly agreed to a 30-day moratorium on attacks on energy infrastructure — but both sides have accused each other of violating it.
According to the Russian Levada Center, two-thirds of Russians support an end to the war, but not on the condition of returning to the 1991 borders. This indicates possible public support for the idea of a partial ceasefire.
By the way, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has said that he is ready to end the war on the terms that were announced in June 2024.
Earlier, the Trump administration held talks with Russian officials to find ways to end the war in Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the dialogue did not produce any tangible results .
It is worth noting that US President Donald Trump wants to agree to an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine by August 8.
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