Moscow:
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that he was in favour of the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine, but “there are nuances”. He also said that any ceasefire should lead to a long-lasting peace and would have to deal with the root causes of the conflict.
“We agree with the proposals to cease hostilities,” Putin told reporters at a news conference in the Kremlin following talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. “But on the basis that that cessation would lead to long-term peace and addresses the root causes of the crisis.”
US envoy Steve Witkoff is in Moscow to present Washington’s plan for a ceasefire in Ukraine, a source said, as the Kremlin warned against any “hasty” deal that would give Kyiv a respite from fighting.
Russia has been grinding forward on the battlefield for over a year, and claimed on Thursday to have driven Ukrainian forces from the town of Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk region.
Trump has expressed optimism that his team can secure a ceasefire, despite Moscow’s battlefield gains.
“If we can get Russia to stop, then we have a full ceasefire. And I think it’ll never go back to war,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said the fact Russia was yet to respond officially to the idea showed it did not want peace.
“Regrettably, for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made,” he said on social media.
“This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible.”
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