Russian President Vladimir Putin’s senior foreign policy advisor stated on Thursday that he informed Washington that the 30-day ceasefire suggested by the United States to pause the conflict in Ukraine would merely provide Ukrainian forces with a necessary break on the battlefield.
Concerns have intensified that Kyiv, with Western support, might lose the war, due to Russia’s recent progress along the front lines and U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to broker a peace agreement to resolve the three-year conflict in Ukraine.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, arrived in Moscow on Thursday to meet with Putin. Russian officials indicated that U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz had shared details regarding the ceasefire proposal on Wednesday, and Russia was open to discussions about it.
On Wednesday, Trump remarked at the White House that he hoped the Kremlin would consent to the U.S. ceasefire proposal, which Ukraine stated it would back.
Yuri Ushakov, a former ambassador to the United States who articulates Putin’s views on key foreign policy matters, mentioned on state television that he had discussed Russia’s stance on the ceasefire with Waltz on Wednesday.
“I expressed our perspective that this is merely a short-term break for the Ukrainian military, nothing else,” Ushakov stated.
“Our objective is a lasting and peaceful resolution that considers our country’s legitimate interests and our well-known concerns. It appears to me that no one requires actions that merely simulate peace in this context,” he explained.
When asked if Russia was therefore dismissing the proposal, Ushakov, who has worked alongside Putin in the Kremlin since 2012, suggested that the president would likely address the media later on Thursday to elaborate on Russia’s stance.
The comments from such a high-ranking Kremlin official imply that Putin, who has led Russia since 1999, believes that Russia’s recent gains on the battlefield in Ukraine and western Russia provide Moscow with a strong negotiating position for peace talks.
It remained unclear how Trump would respond, despite stating on Wednesday that he hoped Moscow would agree to a ceasefire to stop the “bloodbath,” and that he had been harsher on Russia during his first term than previous presidents.
“I have the capability to enact financial measures that could be very detrimental to Russia,” Trump said. “I don’t wish to do that because I want peace. I want to see peace, and we will see. However, from a financial perspective, yes, we could pursue measures very harmful to Russia. It would be devastating for Russia.”
Trump has warned of increased sanctions against Moscow if it fails to reach an agreement, while indicating potential relief from sanctions if it agrees to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
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According to two Russian industry sources, Russia’s ministry of industry and trade has been requesting companies to propose which sanctions need to be lifted most urgently. The ministry was not available for immediate comment.
On Thursday, the Kremlin stated that it considers all sanctions to be illegal and demands their removal.
