Media reports says that speaking at a press conference at the Kremlin alongside the Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko, the Russian President Vladimir Putin said he agreed in principle with a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, but he emphasized that the terms are yet to be worked out and added that any truce should pave the way to lasting peace.
“The idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it, but there are nuances” Putin told a news conference in Moscow. “There are issues that we need to discuss, and I think that we need to talk about it with our American colleagues and partners and, perhaps, have a call with President Trump and discuss it with him.”
Putin claimed Ukraine was seeking a ceasefire because of the battlefield situation, asserting that Russian forces were “advancing almost everywhere” and nearing full control of the Kursk region, where Kyiv launched a surprise incursion last year.
“How will these 30 days of [ceasefire] be used? To continue forced mobilization in Ukraine? To supply weapons to Ukraine? … These are legitimate questions,” he said.
Referring to the Ukrainian troops in Kursk, he questioned what will happen to them if the ceasefire takes hold: “Will all those who are there come out without a fight? Or will the Ukrainian leadership order them to lay down arms and surrender?”
Putin thanked US President Donald Trump “for paying so much attention to the settlement in Ukraine.”
He also thanked the leaders of China, India, Brazil and South Africa for their “noble mission to end the fighting,” a statement that suggested those countries could be involved in a ceasefire deal.
Russia has said it will not accept peacekeepers from any NATO members to monitor a prospective truce.
Meanwhile, Russia's Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov stated yesterday that Moscow is opposed to a temporary ceasefire.
“Our goal is long-term peaceful resolution,” he said in an interview with Russia-1 TV channel. “Any steps that imitate peaceful actions, it seems to me, are unnecessary in this situation."
