Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a joint news conference with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko following their talks at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, on March 13.Alexander Zemlianichenko/The Associated Press
Russian President Vladimir Putin has thrown up a series of roadblocks to a 30-day ceasefire proposal from Ukraine and the United States, saying that he wants to negotiate more details.
Mr. Putin told reporters in Moscow on Thursday that he supported a ceasefire in general, but he said that it must address the root causes of the war, which is usually understood as a reference to Russia’s long-standing demands for Ukraine’s capitulation.
“The idea is good and we absolutely support it but there are issues we need to discuss,” he said, adding that a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump could help clarify the issues. “We agree with the proposal to cease hostilities, but it should lead to enduring peace and remove the underlying causes of this crisis.”
The comments were the Russian President’s first public response to the ceasefire plan that was announced earlier this week in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, by U.S. and Ukrainian officials. Under the proposal, a 30-day halt in fighting would begin immediately and it could be extended on mutual agreement. During that period, negotiators from Ukraine and Russia would outline proposals for a more formal peace accord.
Mr. Putin indicated that he wanted a host of practical issues resolved first. They included how the ceasefire would be monitored, who would give orders and whether Ukraine would be allowed to rearm. “All these issues need to be painstakingly studied by both sides,” he said.
He made it clear that Russia has little interest in stopping the fighting now given that its military has been making gains along part of the front line and in Kursk, a sliver of Russia that the Ukrainian army captured last summer.
Russian and North Korean troops have regained nearly all of the territory and Mr. Putin made a surprise visit to the front on Wednesday. During Thursday’s press conference he said Ukraine’s remaining troops have been surrounded and that the only way out would be either by surrender or death. He also questioned whether they would be allowed to leave under the ceasefire proposal.
“Based on how the situation on the ground develops, we will agree on the next steps in ending the conflict and reaching agreements acceptable to all,” he added.
Mr. Trump told reporters in Washington that Mr. Putin had “put out a very promising statement but it wasn’t complete.” He added that he was willing to speak with the Russian leader to reach a ceasefire. “Hopefully Russia will do the right thing,” he added.
Ukrainians had been wary about whether Mr. Putin would accept the proposal, and his comments did little to convince President Volodymyr Zelensky and other lawmakers in Kyiv that the Russians were serious about ending the war.
In his nightly address on Thursday, Mr. Zelensky called Mr. Putin’s remarks “manipulative.”
“In practice, he’s preparing a rejection,” he said. “Of course, Putin is afraid to tell Trump directly that he wants to continue this war, that he wants to continue killing Ukrainians. That’s why Moscow surrounds the ceasefire idea with preconditions that won’t make anything possible, or make it impossible for longer.”
Ukraine agreed to the ceasefire “unconditionally, without any requirements, without any demands,” said Oleksandr Merezhko, an MP who heads the foreign-affairs committee of the Ukrainian parliament. “But he didn’t agree. He insists on his ultimatum.”
When asked if he thought a ceasefire was still possible, Mr. Merezhko replied: “Now we should look at the actions. You know, I was woken up yesterday by huge explosions over my home. It’s very easy. Just stop bombing that. Just stop shelling and sending drones.”
Others noted that for weeks Mr. Trump had put Mr. Zelensky under enormous pressure while treating Mr. Putin with kid gloves. The U.S. President berated Mr. Zelensky publicly last month in the Oval Office and he briefly suspended military assistance to force the Ukrainian to accept peace talks. He has also questioned Mr. Zelensky’s legitimacy to govern.
Mr. Trump has said repeatedly that the Ukrainians were more difficult to work with than the Russians, but Mr. Zelensky agreed to the ceasefire proposal quickly this week without attaching any demands.
Inna Sovsun, a Ukrainian MP with the opposition Golos party, said Mr. Putin was stalling. “It is not about peace, but about gaining time for a new attack,” she said. “Look at his demands: Ukraine must stop mobilizing, stop receiving weapons and stop preparing for defence. A ceasefire on these terms isn’t a step toward peace – it’s a trap.”
She added that Mr. Putin was pretending to be a peacemaker. “He claims that he is ready for a ceasefire – if the ‘root cause of the crisis’ is eliminated. In reality, this cause is him and Russian imperialism.”