Putin questions US-proposed ceasefire in Ukraine, calls for ‘long-term peace’

For the first time, Russian president Vladimir Putin has expressed openness to the 30-day ceasefire proposal agreed upon by the United States and Ukraine. “We are supportive, but there are nuances,” he said Thursday in Moscow during a joint appearance with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko. “We agree with the proposal to stop the fighting. But we proceed from the fact that this cessation should lead to long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of this crisis.”

However, for Putin, the proposed ceasefire raises many questions, and his final decision will depend on the evolving situation on the battlefield: “Based on how the situation on the ground develops, we will agree on the next steps in ending the conflict and reaching agreements acceptable to all.”

Putin spoke broadly about a truce, though Ukraine’s proposal specifically focuses on air and sea space, as well as energy infrastructure. “The idea [of a cease-fire] itself is correct, and we certainly support it. But there are issues that we need to discuss, and I think that we need to discuss it with our American colleagues and partners,” said Putin, adding that he may need to “have a phone call with President Trump.”

From Washington, the U.S. president seized the opportunity during a visit from NATO’s Secretary General to send a message to Putin. Donald Trump confirmed that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, began negotiations in Moscow with Russian representatives on Thursday regarding a potential ceasefire in Ukraine. “Hopefully they’ll do the right thing,” Trump said, referring to the Russian authorities.

In his press conference on Thursday, Putin raised several concerns: “So what would happen during those 30 days? Would that allow Ukraine to continue a forced mobilization, a supply of arms to Ukraine, so that the newly mobilized units can be trained, or will that not be done?”

Putin also questioned whether he would order his troops to halt. “The Russian troops are advancing practically in every sector of the contact line, and all the conditions are there for us to besiege fairly large units. So what would happen during those 30 days?” he added.

The Russian leader also voiced skepticism about a potential international mission to monitor the contact line between the two armies. “Who will determine where and who violated a potential ceasefire agreement over 2,000 kilometers?” he asked. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has repeatedly insisted that Moscow will not accept the deployment of Western troops “under any flag.”

The Russian president also boasted of major territorial gains, particularly in the Kursk region, where the Defense Ministry announced on Thursday the complete capture of Sudzha, the main town Kyiv had seized during its offensive in August 2024. “What will we do with this area in the Kursk region – if we stop military actions for 30 days, does this mean that everyone who is there will leave without a fight? Should we release them from there after they have committed a lot of crimes against civilians?” he asked.

“All these issues need to be carefully, painstakingly studied by both sides,” Putin concluded, using his speech to thank not only Trump for his diplomatic efforts but also the leaders of China, Xi Jinping; India, Narendra Modi; and Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Moscow’s demands

The Russian government’s demands for a ceasefire include a complete Western withdrawal from Ukraine, Kyiv’s disarmament, and international recognition of the four occupied provinces — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia — as Russian territory, in addition to Crimea. Some Russian analysts suggest that Moscow remains uncertain about ending the war and is focused on securing as many concessions as possible at this early stage of negotiations.

“Facts, facts — not declarations and promises,” Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said, criticizing Washington’s approach to the talks with Putin. Acting as an informal advisor to the Russian leader, Lukashenko warned him that the U.S. could not be trusted. “I can say with absolute certainty that Americans have no plan for the conflict in Ukraine. Absolutely not. What they are doing is testing the waters,” said the Belarusian leader, who has ruled his country with an iron grip for 37 years.

Meanwhile, Putin reiterated his interest in maintaining economic ties with the U.S., a strategy aimed at keeping Trump engaged. “The return of some of our Western partners to our market may benefit operations of their companies and our companies,” he said, though he made it clear that no foreign company would receive special treatment.

Before the meeting between Putin and Lukashenko, Russian presidential advisor Yuri Ushakov, a deputy leader in the Russian delegation negotiating with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia, dismissed Washington and Kyiv’s proposed ceasefire as “a temporary respite for the Ukrainian army, nothing more.”

“We believe that our goal is a long-term peaceful settlement. That is what we are striving for,” Ushakov said. The veteran diplomat, a former Russian ambassador to the U.S., argued that “no one needs measures that merely imitate peacemaking.” However, he later downplayed his remarks, calling them his “personal opinion” that he had already shared them with U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz in a phone call the day before.

Ushakov’s bluntness stood in contrast to the Kremlin’s previous caution on the ceasefire proposal. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, urged patience, stating that Ushakov would brief the Russian leader on negotiations in Moscow. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova had only said that any decision on a truce would be made by Russia alone, not by third countries.

The U.S. proposal has strained the relatively positive tone between Washington and Moscow in recent weeks. Ushakov even appeared to dismiss Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, as irrelevant. “The United States has identified a mediator in negotiations with Russia, and this is not Steve Witkoff,” he remarked, without specifying who he was referring to.

Another high-ranking Russian official, Ambassador to the U.K. Andrei Kelin, reinforced Moscow’s firm stance. “We will only stop military operations when we have a full, comprehensive agreement,” he told The Wall Street Journal, stressing that “We are approaching this [the cease-fire proposal] with a lot of caution.”

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