Russian President Vladimir Putin offered highly conditional support for the proposed 30-day ceasefire deal with Ukraine, quickly adding that he supported the idea in principle but that several difficult issues arising from the three-year-old war must be addressed before he will sign on to the U.S.-backed proposal.
In remarks Thursday evening, Mr. Putin said before Russia could agree to the deal already endorsed earlier this week by Kyiv, but that negotiations must address the presence of Ukrainian troops still inside Russia’s Kursk border region, the possibility of continued arms shipments to Ukraine, and whether the pause in fighting will genuinely lead to a permanent peace acceptable to the Kremlin.
“The idea itself is the right one, and we do support it,” Mr. Putin said. “But there are questions that we need to discuss, and I think that we need to talk them through with our American colleagues and partners.”
Mr. Trump, who met Thursday with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Washington, told reporters Mr. Putin’s response was “promising … but it wasn’t complete.”
Putin “put out a very promising statement but it wasn’t complete,” and that he was willing to talk to the Russian president to secure a ceasefire.
“Hopefully Russia will do the right thing,” Mr. Trump said.
Ukraine’s acceptance earlier this week of the deal pushed strongly by the Trump administration has put the Kremlin on the spot, as President Trump has hinted at negative consequences for Moscow if it refuses the deal. Mr. Putin said he expected to talk directly to the American president soon, although Russian officials signaled it would not likely occur Thursday.
“Would it mean that everybody there [in Kursk] would leave?” Mr. Putin asked. “Should we release them after they have committed numerous crimes against civilians there, or will the Ukrainian leadership command them to surrender? When will that happen? That’s not clear.”
Mr. Putin added that any ceasefire deal would need to address the underlying causes of the war from Russia’s perspective, including NATO’s expanding presence in Eastern Europe since the end of the Cold War. He also said he would meet with Mr. Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who arrived in Moscow Thursday.
Russia’s appetite for a ceasefire may have diminished in recent days as it has taken the initiative in fighting in southern and eastern Ukraine, while also scoring a major breakthrough in trying to drive Ukrainian forces out of Russian territory. Mr. Putin’s comments, made during a meeting with Belarusian ally President Alexander Lukashenko, follow Russia’s announcement Thursday that it had retaken the biggest city in Kursk, driving the Ukrainian army out of the fiercely contested territory.
Mr. Putin’s top aides were even more negative than their boss, saying they feared the American ceasefire plan would only give the pressed Ukrainian army time to regroup and re-arm.
“Our position is that this is nothing more than a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military and nothing more,” Mr. Ushakov told Russian state media Thursday prior to talks with Mr. Witkoff. “We believe that our goal is a long-term peaceful settlement.”
Russia’s Ministry of Defense asserted early Thursday that its troops — including some diverted from the front lines elsewhere inside Ukraine — had retaken the town of Sudzha following a new offensive. Ukrainian forces seized a sizable chunk of the Russian border region in a surprise offensive last summer, and their continued presence inside Russian territory has been a source of continuing embarrassment for the Kremlin.
The Ukraine occupation of the region marked the first instance of a foreign occupation force on Russian soil since World War II.
Ukrainian military officials have not denied or verified Russia’s claim. However, Ukrainian Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi confirmed Wednesday that Russian planes were carrying out offensive strikes in Kursk, adding that the region had been mostly destroyed. He said Kyiv was moving its forces to “more advantageous lines.”
Mr. Putin visited troops in the Kursk region on Wednesday, highlighting the strategic significance of reclaiming the border territory. Since August, Russia’s military has actively engaged in offensive operations in the area to reclaim the territory.
Addressing his commanders in Kursk Wednesday, Mr. Putin said he expected the Russian military to “free” the Kursk region soon. He added that Russia is considering building a border security zone in the region, a concept that could inflame tensions during ceasefire negotiations.
The U.S. officially lifted its pause on military aid to Ukraine on Tuesday following progress made in peace talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials held in Saudi Arabia. The next day, President Trump said that the ball was in Russia’s court as he pressed for a ceasefire.
