Vladimir Putin aide rejects Donald Trump’s temporary ceasefire in Ukraine
Russian leader Vladimir Putin will reject the US’s plan for a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine, according to a top Kremlin official.
A Kremlin official, who said he was giving his “personal position”, says Moscow will reject the idea of halting the conflict for a time period, claiming the country will only be interested in a long term resolution to the bloody conflict, which started in February 2022.
According to Interfax, Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Putin, told state TV channel Russia-1: “We believe that our goal is a long-term peaceful settlement, we strive for this, a peaceful settlement that takes into account the legitimate interests of our country, our well-known concerns. It seems to me that no one needs any steps that imitate peaceful actions in this situation.”
The Kremlin aide said he told Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor Mike Waltz that Russia’s position on a temporary truce is that “this is nothing more than a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military, nothing more.” Ukashov said Putin may speak today on “more specific and substantive assessments” around the ceasefire proposal, Meduza reported.
It comes after Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky hailed “constructive” talks between his and Donald Trump’s teams. The Ukrainian President was careful to emphasise his thanks during a meeting with the press, having been chastised by US Vice President JD Vance for not being “thankful” enough during an extraordinary exchange at the White House just weeks ago.
US president Donald Trump did not say when he would next speak to his Russian counterpart. However, he added: “I hope he’s going to have a ceasefire. It’s up to Russia now. I’ve gotten some positive messages, but a positive message means nothing. This is a very serious situation, it could start World War Three.”
Hours later, the firebrand president appeared to suggested he could target Russia financially as Ukraine’s president urged him to take strong steps. However it remains to be seen whether or nor Vladimir Putin will play ball and honour any sort of agreement for any considerable length of time.
The Russian despot was seen in military fatigues at a Kursk region command post this week in a rare military appearance suggesting his desire to continue hostilities – a matter of hours after Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is ready to seek peace. Putin vowed to treat hundreds of Ukrainian troops captured in Kursk region as “terrorists”, potentially jailing them for decades, and not as prisoners of war who can be exchanged.
Russia launched a ‘full scale invasion’ of the country on February 24 2022, sparking an international crisis and threatening to capture Kyiv in the opening days of the war before Ukraine mounted a counter offensive and eventually claimed Russian territory around Kursk.
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