Putin Claims Ready for Truce but Demands 'Guarantees'
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he agrees with the proposal to cease fire in Ukraine, but that before that, it is necessary to agree on guarantees that Kyiv will not use the ceasefire to rearm. He said this at a press conference in Moscow, which was broadcast on YouTube.
‘We agree with the proposal to end hostilities. But we proceed from the premise that this cessation should lead to long-term peace and the elimination of the root causes of the conflict... The idea itself is correct, but there are issues that we need to discuss. I will call with my American colleagues and perhaps with President Trump,’ Putin said.
He added that there are many questions that need to be answered as part of such a ceasefire. In particular, whether Ukraine will continue to mobilise and receive weapons from the West, how the issues of control and verification will be resolved, and who will monitor possible ceasefire violations along the entire 2,000-kilometre frontline.
Putin also focused on the situation in the Kursk region of Russia. ‘What are we going to do with this area of encroachment (of Ukrainian troops - ed.) in the Kursk region? If we stop hostilities for 30 days, does this mean that those who are there will leave without a fight? Do we have to let them out? Or will the Ukrainian leadership order them to lay down their arms and surrender? How will it be? It is not clear,’ he said.
As The Gaze reported, during the talks with the US in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine agreed to an immediate 30-day ceasefire, provided that Russia also takes this step. The parties ‘agreed that it was time to start the process of establishing a lasting peace’.