The US Secretary of State expects Russia to present conditions for a ceasefire with Ukraine soon.

The U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, expressed his expectations that Russia will present its conditions for a ceasefire with Ukraine in the coming days, allowing the United States to assess Moscow's seriousness in seeking peace. This statement was made during a hearing before a committee in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, May 20th.

Pompeo clarified, saying: "At some point, very soon, perhaps within a few days, maybe this week, the Russian side will present the conditions they want to be met for a ceasefire."

Pompeo pointed out that his expectation is based on recent discussions between American officials and their Russian counterparts, including the phone call made by President Donald Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, as well as his personal contact with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov over the weekend.

He added: "The Russians will offer only general conditions that will allow us to move towards a ceasefire, and this ceasefire will then enable us to enter detailed negotiations to end the conflict."

He continued, saying: "We hope this happens. We believe that the list of conditions that the Russians will propose will tell us a lot about their true intentions."

The U.S. Secretary also noted that the nature of the Russian conditions will be an indicator of Moscow's seriousness in seeking peace, explaining: "If the list of conditions is realistic and constructive, that will be something, but if it includes demands we know are unrealistic, then I think it will be an indicator" of Russia's true intentions.

This comes after President Trump's statements following his call with Putin, where he mentioned the readiness of Russia and Ukraine to start "immediate" negotiations for a ceasefire. In contrast, the Russian President appeared more cautious, stating that Moscow will provide a "memorandum" regarding a potential peace agreement in the future.