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10:42 16.03.2025 •
Vladimir Putin sets Russian conditions.
Photo: DPA
Vladimir Putin has said he has many questions about the proposed US-brokered ceasefire with Ukraine and appeared to set out a series of sweeping conditions that would need to be met before Russia would agree to such a truce, ‘The Guardian’ notes.
Speaking at a press conference at the Kremlin alongside the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin said he agreed in principle with US proposals to halt the fighting but said he wanted to address the “root causes of the conflict”.
“The idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it,” Putin said. But he suggested that Ukraine should neither rearm nor mobilise and that western military aid to Kyiv be halted during the 30-day ceasefire.
Donald Trump responded briefly before a meeting with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, saying Putin had “made a very promising statement, but it was not complete”.
The US president said he was “ready to talk” to Putin. “We will see if Russia agrees, and if not, it will be a very disappointing moment,” he said. “I would like to see a ceasefire from Russia. We hope that Russia will do the right thing.”
Putin claimed Ukraine was seeking a ceasefire because of the battlefield situation, asserting that Russian forces were “advancing almost everywhere” and nearing full control of the Kursk region, where Kyiv launched a surprise incursion last year.
“How will these 30 days of [ceasefire] be used? To continue forced mobilisation in Ukraine? To supply weapons to Ukraine?.. These are legitimate questions,” he said.
Ukraine has previously indicated it would continue its mobilisation efforts during any ceasefire.
“We need to discuss this with our American partners – perhaps a call with Donald Trump,” Putin added, thanking the US president for his involvement in the peace negotiations.
The Russian president had travelled to the Kursk region on Wednesday in a rare battlefield visit, where he spoke with Russian troops who were on the verge of expelling Ukrainian forces from the land it captured last year.
“What will happen in the Kursk region? Will an order be given for the troops stationed there to surrender?” Putin asked. “How the situation along the frontline will be resolved remains unclear.”
On Thursday, a source in Ukraine’s military who recently left the Kursk region said: “It’s over. The only question now is managing the withdrawal with as few losses as possible.”
Recent rhetoric from Russian officials has shown little urgency to reach an agreement or make concessions, as Moscow remains on the offensive on the battlefield.
A Kremlin aide, Yuri Ushakov, said he had informed the US national security adviser, Mike Waltz, that Moscow views the proposed 30-day ceasefire as “nothing more than a short reprieve for Ukrainian forces”.
Moscow’s continued resistance to European peacekeeping forces – seen by Ukraine as the only viable alternative to Nato membership for guaranteeing its security – presents a big obstacle to a peace acceptable to Kyiv.
Observers believe Putin is determined to put forward a string of maximalist demands before agreeing to any ceasefire, which is likely to prolong negotiations.
Reuters and Bloomberg have reported that Russia, in discussions with the US, has presented a list of such demands to end the war in Ukraine and reset relations with Washington.
These demands could include the demilitarisation of Ukraine, an end to western military aid and a commitment to keeping Kyiv out of Nato. Moscow may also push for a ban on foreign troop deployments in Ukraine and international recognition of Putin’s claims to Crimea and the four Ukrainian regions Russia annexed in 2022.
Many in Europe fear these conditions for peace could weaken the West’s ability to increase its military presence and could allow Putin to expand his influence across the continent.
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