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Putin says Russia in favor of ceasefire proposal, but 'there is a nuance'

President Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was in Moscow on Thursday.

Damaged cars and rubble are seen as people walk in dirt.
The aftermath of an attack in Dnipro, Ukraine, on Wednesday.Credit...Nicole Tung for The New York Times

LONDON -- In his first public remarks on the proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said Russia is "for it" but that he wants his own security guarantees.

Putin raised questions regarding a 30-day ceasefire during a press briefing in Moscow on Thursday, as President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff landed in the city to discuss the proposal.

"It seems to me, it would be very good for the Ukrainian side to reach a truce for at least 30 days. And we are for it. But there is a nuance," Putin said, highlighting concerns regarding Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces pushed into last year in a surprise offensive but in recent weeks have seen Russian forces retake significant ground.

"If we stop the hostilities for 30 days, what does it mean? Does it mean that everyone who is there will leave without a fight?" Putin said. "Or the Ukrainian leadership will give them an order to lay down their arms and just surrender? How will it be? It is not clear."

Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Mar. 13, 2025. Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
 

Putin said he also wants guarantees that during a 30-day ceasefire, Ukraine will not regroup, and he wondered who would determine if there were any violations of a ceasefire.

"These are all issues that require careful investigation from both sides," he said.

Putin suggested Russia should talk with Trump to discuss his concerns, while adding, "But the idea itself is to end this conflict with peaceful means. We support it."

At the top of his remarks, the president thanked Trump "for his attention to Ukraine's settlement."

"We believe that this ceasefire should lead to a long-term peace and eliminate the initial causes of this crisis," Putin said.

Trump's Middle East envoy landed in Moscow on Thursday morning for discussions on the proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine -- a step leaders in Kyiv and Washington, D.C., hope will facilitate a larger peace deal to end Russia's three-year-old invasion of its neighbor.

Witkoff's trip is "part of our continued efforts to press Russia to agree to a ceasefire and stop its brutal war against Ukraine," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a Wednesday briefing.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that American negotiators were traveling to Moscow on Thursday. "Contacts are planned," Peskov told a press briefing, adding of the potential outcomes, "We will not prejudge, we will tell you later."

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Washington. Alex Brandon/AP
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Washington. Alex Brandon/AP
 
 

Witkoff will meet with Putin on Thursday night in a closed format, according to Russian foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov.

Putin will not speak with Trump on Thursday, according to Ushakov.

U.S. and Ukrainian officials agreed to a total 30-day ceasefire during talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, earlier this week. The ball is now "truly in their court," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said of Russia following the talks in Jeddah.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram of the ceasefire plan, "Ukraine accepts this proposal, we consider it positive, we are ready to take this step. The United States of America needs to convince Russia to do so."

"We agree, and if the Russians agree, the silence will take effect at that very moment," he added. "An important element in today's discussions is America's readiness to restore defense assistance to Ukraine and intelligence support."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, Mar. 12, 2025. Efrem Lukatsky/AP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, Mar. 12, 2025. Efrem Lukatsky/AP
 

Zelenskyy said  is ready for peace while Russia seeks to "postpone peace."

"Regrettably, for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made," he said on X on Thursday. "This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible. We hope that U.S. pressure will be sufficient to compel Russia to end the war."

The Kremlin had so far been noncommittal on the U.S.-Ukrainian proposal. Officials were "scrutinizing" the publicly released statements, Peskov said on Wednesday. Russia, he added, "doesn't want to get ahead of itself" on the potential ceasefire.

Ushakov -- who took part in last month's meeting with U.S. negotiators in Saudi Arabia -- described the proposed ceasefire as "a hasty document."

"It should be worked on, and our position should also be considered and taken into account," he told journalists. "For now, only the Ukrainian approach is outlined there," Ushakov added, suggesting the 30-day pause in fighting would be an opportunity for Ukrainian forces to regroup.

"We believe that our goal is a long-term peaceful settlement, we are striving for it, a peaceful settlement that takes into account the legitimate interests of our country, our known concerns," Ushakov said. "Some steps that imitate peaceful actions, it seems to me, no one needs in this situation."

Ushakov said he outlined Russia's position to national security adviser Mike Waltz. "I myself have recently been in fairly regular telephone contact with Mike Waltz," he said. "Yesterday he called me and informed me about the main results of the talks with the Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah."

ABC News' Tanya Stukalova, Joe Simonetti and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.

Author: David Brennan and Meredith Deliso

Source: ABC GMA

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