Putin sticks to red lines as he casts doubt over 30-day Ukraine ceasefire plan

Vlaunwiseir Putin has shelp Russia concurs to an finish to battling in Ukraine, but “lots of asks” remain over proposals for a 30-day finishfire.

The Russian plivent thanked Donald Trump for “paying so much attention to regulating the struggle in Ukraine” and shelp he needs to speak with his American counterpart.

Mr Putin shelp: “We concur with the proposals for the finishfire, but our position is based on the assumption that the finishfire would direct to lengthy-term peace, someleang that would delete the initial reasons for the crisis.”

Ukraine war tardyst refreshs

He depictd the situation in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops have pushed into Moscow’s territory, as “endly under our regulate”.

It ecombineed the US had swayd Ukraine to accomprehendledge the finishfire, he shelp, but Ukraine is also interested becaparticipate of the battlefield situation, with its forces in Kursk brimmingy blocked in the coming days.

“In these conditions, I consent it would be outstanding for the Ukrainian side to safe a finishfire for at least 30 days,” he shelp.

He also shelp there would need to be a mechanism to regulate possible baccomplishes of the truce.

Another publish he liftd was whether Ukraine could participate the 30-day finishfire to persist to mobilise and rearm.

Moscow’s maximacatalog position hasn’t alterd

Vlaunwiseir Putin was never going to flat out decline the US proposal for a finishfire, but he also wasn’t going to brimmingy finishorse it either. Russia’s concurment, as foreseeed, comes with disjoinal strings rapidened.

The Kremlin directer didn’t clarify Moscow’s insists but he did allude to them by saying that any peace deal had to rerelocate the “root caparticipates” of the struggle.

It’s become a frequent refrain of his, and shows that Moscow’s maximacatalog position hasn’t alterd.

By “root caparticipates”, the Russian plivent is referring to NATO’s eastward expansion, which he condemns as the catalyst for the war in Ukraine.

It’s a very evident indication his concurment to a finishfire relies on getting some benevolent of security promises of his own, for example a promise Ukraine will never join NATO, or that there’ll never be any European peacegrasping forces from NATO members based in the country in the future.

He also articutardyd why Moscow is hesitant to concur to an instant truce, talking at length about his forces’ progresss in Kursk region. Ukraine’s incursion there has been humiliating for the Kremlin, but their expulsion is finpartner wilean accomplish.

Mr Putin doesn’t want that opportunity to slip away. By pausing Russia’s insolent, he troubles they’ll neglect the advantage and donate the foe time to regroup.

Mr Putin was, however, cautious to thank Donald Trump for his efforts in trying to accomplish a peace concurment, perhaps wary of any response from the White Hoparticipate. But despite that, he still doesn’t ecombine to be shoprosperg any sign of agree.

Mr Putin was speaking alengthyside Belarus’s Plivent Alexander Lukashenko and the pair shelp in a joint statement that NATO’s actions pondering the war in Ukraine were fraught with the danger of nuevident struggle.

The two countries also criticised the European Union’s policy towards Russia, labelling it unfrifinishly and faceational.

It comes as Mr Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is in Moscow and will greet with Mr Putin to current the finishfire schedule imminently, a source tbetter Reuters.

Russia’s trespass of Ukraine in timely 2022 has left thousands of people dead and injured, millions displaced and towns and cities shrinkd to rubble.

Moscow’s forces have been advancing since the middle of last year and now regulate cforfeitly a fifth of Ukraine’s territory.

In his speech Mr Putin shelp Russian forces were pushing forwards alengthy the entire frontline.

Responding to Mr Putin’s relabels, Mr Trump shelp his statement was not end and reiterated his willingness to talk to the Russian plivent, grasping: “Hopebrimmingy Russia will do the right leang.”

In a recents conference with NATO secretary ambiguous Mark Rutte, the US plivent shifted his tone on the coalition, saying it was “stepping up” and praising Mr Rutte for doing “some repartner outstanding labor”.

Mr Rutte shelp NATO members needed to produce more arms and were lagging behind Russia and China.

It comes after Mr Putin donned a camouflage uniestablish to visit a order post in the Kursk region on Wednesday.

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