Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin Photo: AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that he agrees in principle with a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, but he stressed that the terms are yet to be worked out and noted that any truce should pave the way to lasting peace, the Associated Press confirmed.
"The idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it," Putin told a news conference in Moscow, the Associated Press quoted.
"But there are issues that we need to discuss, and I think that we need to talk about it with our American colleagues and partners and, perhaps, have a call with President Trump and discuss it with him," he stated.
President Donald Trump said there have been "good signals" coming out of Russia and offered guarded optimism about Putin's statement. He reiterated that he stood ready to speak with Putin and underscored that it was time to end the war.
Putin "put out a very promising statement, but it wasn't complete,"Trump said Thursday at a start of a meeting at the Oval Office with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. "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."
Also Read | Ukraine Ceasefire: Putin's Top Aide Slams America's 30-Day Truce Plan, Calls It A 'Temporary Respite For Kyiv'
Putin stressed the need to develop mechanisms to control possible violations of the ceasefire agreement and indicated that Russia would seek guarantees that Ukraine would not use the ceasefire to re-arm and continue mobilization.
"We agree with the proposals to halt the fighting, but we proceed from the assumption that the ceasefire should lead to lasting peace and remove the root causes of the crisis," Putin said.
The Russian leader made the remarks just hours after Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to negotiate a 30-day ceasefire accepted by Ukraine. A Kremlin adviser said Putin planned to meet Witkoff later on Thursday.
The diplomatic effort comes amid Russia's claim that its troops have pushed Ukrainian forces out of a key city in Russia's Kursk border region, from which Moscow has been trying to remove Ukrainian troops for seven months.
Putin said it appeared that the US persuaded Ukraine to accept a ceasefire and that Ukraine is interested because of the battlefield situation, particularly in Kursk.
Read More | Ukraine Ceasefire: 'We Agree', Says Russian President Putin, Focus Is On 'Long Term Peace' | Details
Referring to the Ukrainian troops in Kursk, he questioned what will happen to them if the ceasefire takes hold, saying, "Will all those who are there come out without a fight? Or will the Ukrainian leadership order them to lay down arms and surrender?"
Putin thanked Trump "for paying so much attention to the settlement in Ukraine."
He also thanked the leaders of China, India, Brazil and South Africa for their "noble mission to end the fighting," a statement that signalled those countries' potential involvement in a ceasefire deal.
Russia has said it will not accept peacekeepers from any NATO members to monitor a prospective truce.
The Russian Defence Ministry's claim that it recaptured the town of Sudzha, a Ukrainian operations hub in Kursk, came hours after Putin visited his commanders in the Kursk region. The claim could not be independently verified. Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment.
The renewed Russian military push and Putin's high-profile visit to his troops unfolded as Trump seeks a diplomatic end to the war, which began more than three years ago with Russia's full-scale invasion.
The US on Tuesday lifted its March 3 suspension of military aid for Kyiv after senior US and Ukrainian officials reported making progress on how to stop the fighting during talks in Saudi Arabia.
Trump said Wednesday that “it's up to Russia now” as his administration presses Moscow to agree to the ceasefire. The US president has made veiled threats to hit Russia with new sanctions if it does not engage with peace efforts.
Zelensky Slams Russia For Slow Response
Ukraine has expressed its concern that Russia will use the ceasefire to regroup and rearm.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday criticised Russia on the Telegram messaging app, saying it was slow to respond to a ceasefire proposal, and accused Moscow of trying to delay a peace deal.
He said that Ukraine is "determined to move quickly toward peace" and hoped US pressure would compel Russia to stop fighting.
(With AP Inputs)