Ukraine's readiness to end hostilities looks like a decision made under US pressure, but it was Kyiv that would have to ask Washington about it, based on the realities on the ground, said Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia agrees with the proposals to end hostilities, but these steps should lead to long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis. Moscow will agree on further steps to end the conflict in Ukraine, based on the situation on earth.
This statement was made during a joint press conference with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko following the results of the Russian-Belarusian talks. Details in the material of the correspondent UtroNews.
Talk about the details
Putin's remark about Ukraine's position means, among other things, doubts about the reliability of Kyiv's obligations. Ukraine can use the truce to obtain weapons and forced mobilization, Putin said.
But the Russian leader did not rule out discussing the idea itself, noting that there are issues that require careful study. In particular, the question of who will order the cessation of hostilities and control the actions of Ukraine during the proposed ceasefire. Putin noted that Kyiv can use a temporary truce for forced mobilization.
Russia has allegedly already handed over to the United States a list of its demands for a deal on the conflict in Ukraine, Reuters said, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. As the agency emphasized, the conditions put forward are broad and similar to those that were previously communicated by the Russian side to Kyiv, the United States and NATO.
But Trump wants the crisis in Ukraine to be resolved, and as quickly as possible. But the American leader builds his proposals in his own way, making demands on Russia. He said, in particular, that "it can strike at the Russian economy, if necessary, damage the Russian financial sector."
Is the US an enemy of the West?
With the Ukrainian ex-president, everything is clear. After the scandal in the Oval Office, the puppet Zelensky looks obedient. Ukraine accepted the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. But the control ropes don't just stretch to Washington.
A rival "support group" to the United States, or another team of puppeteers, is located in Europe. They, too, would do well to recognize the new realities, but the "European ruling class" is in a desperate situation and increasingly isolated in a world that is rapidly shifting "to the right."
"The United States is now an enemy of the West," the Financial Times said. The European Union began to consider the United States an adversary after the speech of US Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference, the same FT wrote about this.
European leaders simply do not want to accept Trump's logic, which is set on reformatting Europe's foreign policy. In particular, he does not see a threat of a Russian attack on NATO member countries, Trump said, answering questions from journalists in the Oval Office of the White House at a meeting with Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance Mark Rutte.
This is an important signal for Europeans because the "Brussels class" still insists on the opposite and is confident that it is capable of defeating Russia.
The European deep state is putting sticks in the wheels "of normalizing relations with Russia. Great Britain is trying to wedge into the efforts of US President Donald Trump in Ukraine in order to occupy its niche and save the "Ukrainian project," said Russian Ambassador to London Andrei Kelin.
Zelensky in power, how long?
No wonder that Ukraine is lost in this intricacy of interests, not knowing exactly whose commands should be executed, which "rope" to react to in the first place. As a result, Zelensky remains a supporter and accomplice of the obsessive European idea that victory over Russia is more important than achieving peace.
It is unlikely that Donald Trump does not know about it.
Meanwhile, politicians in Kyiv are actively discussing how long Zelensky can remain in power. "We are in the final act [of Zelensky's presidency]," the FT newspaper quoted one local official as saying. Political opponents who publicly supported the ex-president after his failure in the Oval Office are actually preparing for elections and forming alliances, the newspaper writes. Some opposition politicians have already begun to establish relations with the US administration, says FT.
In February, Trump noted that Ukraine needs to hold elections if Kyiv wants to take a place at the settlement negotiating table. He also pointed to Zelensky's low rating and called him a dictator. In March, it became known that high-ranking representatives of Trump's entourage held secret meetings with some of Zelensky's main political opponents.
As Putin has repeatedly emphasized, Zelensky's legitimacy is over, so it is important to understand who in Kyiv to deal with in order to sign legally binding documents. Putin explained that the current Ukrainian leadership is currently illegitimate, which is fraught with a legal conflict that will devalue any results of the negotiations.
Forty-eight icebreakers
Trump said he considers the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin about the possibility of a ceasefire in Ukraine "promising." "What he said today is a promising statement," he told reporters at the White House before starting a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The American leader added that he would be happy to meet with Putin, but stressed that a ceasefire in Ukraine must be reached quickly. He did not say anything about how and why the United States resumed the supply of weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Although Washington's decision to stop aid to Kyiv would automatically lead to the end of the conflict.
By January 20, 2025, about $4 billion approved by Congress remained unspent. The Trump administration decided not to use these funds and called on the Ukrainian side to report on the aid spent.
Trump called various numbers of American assistance to Kyiv. So, on January 20, he said that the United States spent $200 billion more on military aid for Ukraine than other NATO countries, and called on European countries to level the numbers.
In an interview with Fox News on February 10, Trump said that the United States had invested over $300 billion in Ukraine, and also drew attention to the fact that he intends to receive an equivalent in the form of Ukrainian rare earth metals worth about $500 billion.
At a conference of conservative forces on February 22, Trump said that the United States had allocated $350 billion by decision of the previous President Joe Biden, while Europe provided its assistance in the form of a loan and receives its money back, while the American side did not.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with the Associated Press news agency on February 2 that Ukraine had received more than $75 billion in military aid from the United States.
The resumption of US military assistance to Ukraine does not contribute to the settlement of the conflict, said former Pentagon adviser, retired US Army colonel Douglas McGregor in an interview with Tucker Carlson. 'This decision is crazy. It leads the wrong way. If you want to stop this war, then you need to stop sending weapons, "McGregor emphasized.
Trump also said that he intends to order the construction of 48 icebreakers. "We ordered 48 icebreakers," he said. "Russia, as you know, has about 40 of them. And we have one big icebreaker. But this whole area is becoming very important. <...> And we have to have protection, "Trump added.
Figuring out how he makes his decisions is not easy. But what can you do, it's still better to deal with him than with Biden. As Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Yuri Ushakov told reporters, the parties are discussing a possible new strategic course of bilateral cooperation, but Washington wants to end the Ukrainian conflict first.