Russian leader Vladimir Putin does not yet feel pressure to "retreat from his maximalist demands"; Putin may offer a conditional ceasefire, awaiting further action from Washington.
UNN reports with reference to The Financial Times.
Moscow is not yet willing to abandon its maximalist demands regarding Ukraine, despite the proposal of a 30-day ceasefire, which was agreed this week by Kyiv and Washington.
On Thursday, the Russian president stated that any ceasefire should lead to a final settlement of the conflict, which would "resolve the root causes" of his invasion.
"The idea itself is correct, and we unconditionally support it," Putin noted, but made a number of additions, emphasizing disagreement with the fact that Ukrainian forces could "get a chance to retreat, regroup and rearm." He also noted disagreement with the continuation of mobilization in Ukraine, and steps to obtain weapons and train units of Ukrainian defenders.
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Putin also stated concerns about how any ceasefire would be implemented and monitored on the battlefield. Moreover, the Kremlin dictator expressed confidence that "Russia's breakthroughs in Kursk" and other areas of the front would continue.
Elina Rybakova, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said that Putin does not want to be accused of standing in the way of a deal with Trump, but does not feel pressure to "retreat from his maximalist demands."
Meanwhile, the US and Russia are negotiating to ensure gas supplies to Europe. An agreement may be reached to restart the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Europe with the support of American investors.