Putin refused a ceasefire, demanding an end to military aid to Ukraine, indicating an unwillingness to end the war - NYT
Kyiv • UNN
Putin rejected a 30-day ceasefire, insisting on a cessation of military aid to Ukraine. He is willing to limit strikes on energy infrastructure on the condition of reciprocity.
Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to support the 30-day cessation of hostilities proposed by the United States and Ukraine in a telephone conversation with Donald Trump. Instead, he only agreed to a limited suspension of strikes on energy infrastructure – and only if Ukraine does the same. This decision only confirms the Kremlin's unwillingness to stop the war and its desire to maintain an advantage on the battlefield. This is reported by The New York Times, writes UNN.
Details
According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to a limited ceasefire on energy infrastructure for the first time if Ukraine does the same.
However, during a two-and-a-half-hour telephone conversation with President Trump, the Russian leader has so far refused to agree to a 30-day ceasefire proposed by US and Ukrainian officials. This means that attacks on Ukrainian civilians, cities and ports will continue as both sides fight for territory and negotiating leverage.
However, if strikes on energy infrastructure on both sides do cease, it would mark the first mutually agreed cessation of attacks in the three years of the war, which the White House has described as a first step towards a broader peace. However, in private, some administration officials acknowledged that Putin is probably buying time by only agreeing to appear to be engaged in peace talks while building up his advantage on the battlefield.
According to the media, a ceasefire on energy facilities would benefit not only Ukraine, which is struggling with constant Russian attacks on its energy system. It would also be a relief for the Kremlin: Ukraine has carried out large-scale strikes on oil and gas facilities deep inside Russian territory, jeopardizing Moscow's most important source of government revenue.
American and Russian accounts of the call demonstrated the chasm that remains. According to a Kremlin statement, Putin insisted that lasting peace depends on a complete cessation of foreign military and intelligence assistance to Kyiv.
In essence, Putin demanded an end to all military support for Ukraine that the United States and its allies have provided for three years,
According to the NYT, Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance have previously criticized US spending to support Kyiv in their statements, but the White House did not mention the topic in its report on the call. At the same time, Europe has pledged to increase aid to Ukraine.
The result of the call appears to have fallen far short of what Trump had hoped for in his appeal to Moscow after days of optimistic statements from the White House that peace was achievable. Despite Trump's public optimism, which he expressed in a post on his social network, a date for a meeting between the two presidents has not been set. There were no statements on the general principles of ending the war.
But there were also gestures of goodwill. Putin said Russia would release 23 seriously wounded Ukrainian soldiers and conduct a prisoner exchange with Ukraine later this month, during which 175 prisoners would be transferred from each side.
Let us remind
Earlier, UNN wrote that US President Donald Trump said that the conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin "was very good and productive".
According to him, "many elements of a peace treaty were discussed, including the fact that thousands of soldiers are dying, and both President Putin and President Zelenskyy would like to see it end".
