London – In his first public comments on the high the proposed fire of 30 days in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is “for that”, but that he wants his own security guarantees.
Putin raised questions about a high 30 -day fire during a press conference in Moscow on Thursday, when the envoy of the Middle East of President Donald Trump, 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 in favor. But there is a nuance,” Putin said, which highlights concerns about the Kursk region of Russia, where Ukrainian forces pushed last year in a surprise offensive, but in recent weeks they have seen the Russian forces resume significant land.
“If we stop hostilities for 30 days, what does it mean? Does it mean that everyone who is there will go without fighting?” Putin said. “Or Ukrainian leadership will give you the order to leave your arms and simply surrender? How will it be?”
The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, attends a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on March 13, 2025.
Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
Putin said he also wants guarantees that during a high 30 -day fire, Ukraine will not regroup, and wondered who would determine if there was any rape of a high fire.
“All these are problems that require careful investigation of both sides,” he said.
Putin suggested that Russia should talk to 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 comments, the president thanked Trump “for his attention to the settlement of Ukraine.”
“We believe that this fire should lead to long -term peace and eliminate the initial causes of this crisis,” Putin said.
The envoy of the Middle East of Trump landed in Moscow on Thursday morning for discussions on the high the proposed fire of 30 days in Ukraine, a leading step in kyiv and Washington, DC, Hope will facilitate a broader peace agreement to end the invasion of three years of Russia of its neighbor.
Witkoff’s trip is “part of our continuous efforts to press Russia to accept fire and stop its brutal war against Ukraine,” said White House Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, journalists in an informative session on Wednesday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that US negotiators were traveling to Moscow on Thursday. “Contacts are planned,” said Peskov a press conference, adding the possible results, “we will not prejudge, we will tell you later.”
The special envoy of the United States, Steve Witkoff, talks to journalists at the White House, on Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
Witkoff will meet with Putin on Thursday night in a closed format, according to the assistant of Russian foreign policy Yuri Ushakov.
Putin will not talk to Trump on Thursday, according to Ushakov.
American and Ukrainian officials agreed to high a 30 -day fire during conversations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, earlier this week. The ball is now “truly on its court,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio about Russia after the conversations in Jeddah.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wrote on Telegram of the Alto El Fuego 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 enter into force at the same time,” he added. “An important element in today’s discussions is the preparation of the United States to restore defense assistance to Ukraine and intelligence support.”
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaks during an informative session in kyiv, Ukraine, March 12, 2025.
Ef Lukatsky/AP
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready for peace, while Russia seeks “postponing peace.”
“Unfortunately, for more than a day, the world has not yet heard a significant response from Russia to the proposals made,” ” He said in x Thursday. “This once again shows that Russia seeks to prolong war and postpone peace as long as possible. We hope that US pressure is sufficient to force Russia to end war.”
The Kremlin had not been committed to the American-Ukrainian proposal. The authorities were “examining” the statements published publicly, Peskov said Wednesday. Russia, he added, “does not want to advance” in Alto Alto El Fuego.
Ushakov, who participated in the meeting last month with American negotiators in Saudi Arabia, described the high fire proposed as “a hurried document.”
“It must be worked, and our position must also be considered and taken into account,” he told reporters. “For now, only the Ukrainian approach is described there,” added Ushakov, suggesting that the 30 -day pause in the fight would be an opportunity for Ukrainian forces to regroup.
“We believe that our goal is a long -term peaceful agreement, we strive for it, a peaceful agreement that takes into account the legitimate interests of our country, our known concerns,” said Ushakov. “Some steps that mimic peaceful actions, it seems to me that nobody needs in this situation.”
Ushakov said he described Russia’s position to the national security advisor Mike Waltz. “Recently I have been in quite regular telephone contact with Mike Waltz,” he said. “Yesterday he called me and informed me about the main results of the conversations with the Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah.”
Tanya Stukalova, Joe Simonetti and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
