Putin calls for revisions to the US-proposed Ukraine ceasefire deal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed conditional support for a United States-proposed ceasefire in Ukraine but insisted that key details needed to be addressed before any agreement could be reached.
Talking at the Kremlin, Putin accepted that the proposal of halting hostilities was “correct” but emphasised that any cessation of fighting should lead to a lasting resolution and eliminate the underlying causes of the conflict.
“We agree with the proposals to cease hostilities,” Putin told reporters. “The idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it. But we proceed from the fact that this cessation should be such that it would lead to long-term peace and would eliminate the original causes of this crisis.”
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which it terms a “special military operation” aimed at “denazifying” Ukraine and countering NATO’s expansion. The war has since claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, displaced millions, and left vast areas of Ukraine in ruins.
Putin’s remarks appeared to be a diplomatic overture towards Washington and US President Donald Trump, who has positioned himself as a potential broker of peace.
Trump, who has previously expressed admiration for Putin, described the Russian leader’s statement as “very promising” and said he hoped Moscow would “do the right thing.”
The former US president, who is seeking a return to the White House in the upcoming elections, said that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, was engaged in discussions with Russian officials in Moscow over the proposed ceasefire.
“Now we’re going to see whether or not Russia is there, and if they’re not, it’ll be a very disappointing moment for the world,” Trump said.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Russia’s approach, warning that Moscow was merely stalling for time.
“That’s why in Moscow they are imposing upon the idea of a ceasefire these conditions, so that nothing happens at all, or so that it cannot happen for as long as possible,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.
