Russian authorities have reacted cautiously to the U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, which has been backed by Kyiv, stating that any agreement would have to take Russian battlefield advances into account and address Moscow’s concerns.
That’s according to Reuters, citing Russian sources, Ukrinform reports.
A senior Russian source said that Russia would need to hash out the terms of any ceasefire and get some sort of guarantees.
“It is difficult for Putin to agree to this [U.S. proposal] in its current form,” the source said. “Putin has a strong position because Russia is advancing.”
Another senior Russian source said that the ceasefire proposal looked from Moscow’s perspective to be a trap because Putin would find it hard to halt the war without some concrete guarantees or pledges.
A third Russian source said the big picture was that the United States had agreed to resume military aid and intelligence sharing and had decorated that move with a ceasefire proposal.
So far, the Kremlin has not commented on the outcome of talks between Ukrainian and U.S. delegations in Saudi Arabia.
Reuters also recalled Putin’ statement from December, in which he insisted that Russia does not need a temporary truce but rather a long-term peace secured by guarantees for Russia and its citizens. However, he acknowledged that achieving such guarantees would be a difficult question.
On Tuesday, March 11, Ukraine and U.S. delegations held their first negotiations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss conditions for ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Following the talks, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed hope that Putin would agree to a ceasefire, as outlined in the Jeddah meeting.
