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April 30th, 2025 | 6:22 PM ET

With ‘Ball in Russia’s Court,’ What Will Putin Do?

Experts doubt whether the Russian leader will offer any concessions to Ukraine

EXPERT ANALYSIS
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends a signing ceremony and a press conference following a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 13, 2025. (Photo by MAXIM SHEMETOV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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Posted: March 16th, 2025

By The Cipher Brief

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT — As the Trump Administration pressed over the past week to reach a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, two phrases captured the moment: “The ball is in Russia’s court” – a line from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and echoed by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, after the U.S. and Ukraine presented a 30-day ceasefire proposal; and “root causes of the crisis” – the words used by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his response to the plan.

The diplomatic “ball” landed in Russia’s court in the form of the U.S.-Ukraine proposal for a 30-day pause in the fighting, and it put pressure on Russian President Putin to respond favorably – given a recent series of pro-Russian statements and measures from the White House. 

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