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Moscow, 13 March, Reuters reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he generally supports the US proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine. However, he said that the ceasefire should take into account the “root causes of the conflict” and needs to agree on a number of details.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 caused massive destruction, killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people, forced millions of Ukrainians to flee their homes, and fuelled the sharpest confrontation between Moscow and the West in decades.
A truce on the Kremlin’s terms?
Putin’s statement came after talks in the Kremlin with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. According to him, Russia has no objection to the cessation of hostilities, but it has set a number of conditions.
“We agree with the proposal for a ceasefire. This is the right idea, and we support it,” Putin said.
At the same time, he stressed that the ceasefire should guarantee “long-term peace” and address the “key causes” of the war. The Russian president did not specify which issues needed to be resolved, but made it clear that without a detailed agreement, the talks would be meaningless.
Trump sees “the future”
US President Donald Trump responded to Putin’s statement by calling it “very promising”. He also expressed hope that Moscow would “do the right thing” and make a deal.
According to Trump, his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is currently in Moscow, negotiating with the Russian side on the American peace plan. Ukraine has already agreed to the US proposal, and now everything depends on the Kremlin.
“Now we will see if Russia is ready to make a deal. If not, it will be a very disappointing moment for the whole world,” Trump said.
Despite Washington’s cautious optimism, experts doubt that the Kremlin is really ready for a quick cessation of hostilities. The large number of conditions and explanations Putin has put forward may indicate a desire to drag out the negotiations rather than a willingness to make a real peace.
