Putin says Russia 'in favor' of truce
But nuances exist over some issues as Trump sees 'good signals' toward deal
MOSCOW/KYIV — Russia is "in favor" of the 30-day cease-fire plan proposed by the United States and Ukraine, but nuances exist, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, as US negotiators arrived in Moscow for talks.
"We agree with the proposals to cease hostilities," Putin told reporters at the Kremlin. "The idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it."
"But we proceed from the fact that this cessation should be such that it would lead to long-term peace and would eliminate the original causes of this crisis," Putin said at a news conference with visiting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
He went on to list a slew of issues he said needed clarifying and thanked US President Donald Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, for his efforts to end the fighting.
Putin noted the difficulty in monitoring cease-fire violations along the 2,000-kilometer contact line of the conflict and raised the issue that Ukraine might use the temporary cease-fire for mobilization and weapons supplies.
He mentioned the nuance regarding the Kursk region, where Russian forces have been pushing back Ukrainian forces following their surprise cross-border attack in August 2024.
"As for the situation on the ground… it is changing rapidly," Putin said.
Putin said he might call Trump to discuss the issues.
While meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House and asked by reporters about Putin's statement earlier in the day, Trump said he saw "good signals" toward finalizing the truce deal.
"He (Putin) put out a very promising statement but it wasn't complete," Trump said. "Now we're going to see whether or not Russia's there. And if they're not, it'll be a very disappointing moment for the world."
In the Oval Office, Trump said the US had discussed with Ukraine possible concessions as part of a peace agreement.
"We've been discussing with Ukraine land and pieces of land that would be kept and lost, and all of the other elements of a final agreement," Trump said.
Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has arrived in Moscow to meet with Putin and discuss the cease-fire proposal.
"They have very serious discussions going on right now with President Putin and others, and hopefully they all want to end this nightmare," Trump said, adding he hopes to speak to Putin soon.
"When Witkoff brings all the information to President Trump, we will determine the timing of a conversation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Commenting on the US negotiators in Moscow, Russia said on Friday that Witkoff needed to relay Putin's thoughts to the US president first.
Responding to Putin's remarks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian leader is setting many preconditions to delay the cease-fire for as long as possible.
Zelensky also said on Thursday that Ukraine saw Turkiye as a partner in security guarantees for his country.
Agencies - Xinhua
