Russian President Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin still supports the idea of a ceasefire in Ukraine, but the implementation of the ceasefire, according to the Kremlin, remains difficult due to a number of “open questions” that have not yet been answered. This was stated on Monday by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, AFP reports.
He noted that the idea of a cessation of hostilities is “necessary”, but its implementation is impossible without first resolving important political and security aspects. According to Peskov, the lack of progress is due to the “unpredictability of the regime in Kyiv”.
On 25 March, the White House announced that a preliminary agreement had been reached between the US, Ukraine and Russia on a ceasefire in the Black Sea and on the development of mechanisms to ensure energy security. However, the parties accused each other of breaking the agreement.
US President Donald Trump, disappointed with the pace of the negotiations, recently said he was “extremely disappointed” with Putin’s behaviour. He stressed that the US wants the shelling to stop, but the Russian army continues to carry out attacks.
Earlier, Putin rejected a joint US-Ukraine proposal for an unconditional ceasefire, linking any agreement in the Black Sea to the easing of Western sanctions – a condition that has been categorically rejected by both President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the Trump administration would not allow itself to be drawn into “endless negotiations” with Russia. “We will see very soon whether Moscow is really committed to peace,” he added.
In the coming days, a Ukrainian delegation is expected to travel to Washington to discuss a new energy agreement, which the US believes should be a kind of compensation for its support of Ukraine during the war. Kyiv, in turn, insists that the document should contain specific security guarantees to deter Russia.
