Putin says he 'agrees with ceasefire proposals' but warns 'lots of questions' remain about Ukraine deal
13 March 2025, 15:50 | Updated: 13 March 2025, 16:19
Vladimir Putin has said that he agrees with the Ukraine ceasefire proposals and said that the deal should lead to a long-term peace.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Speaking in a press conference on Thursday, the Russian president added that the ceasefire proposal should lead to long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of the "crisis."
“We agree with the proposals for the ceasefire, but our position is based on the assumption the ceasefire will lead to a long-term peace," he told reporters.
He added that the idea of a ceasefire “is correct in itself, and we certainly support it, but there are issues that we need to discuss."
Putin said: “I think we need to talk to our American colleagues, maybe call President Trump and discuss it".
Read more: Kremlin aide dismisses short-term ceasefire as ‘temporary respite’ for Ukraine
Read more: Keir Starmer says he's 'not surprised' that Russia dismissed Ukraine ceasefire deal
The Russian president also referenced his visit to the Kursk region yesterday, saying that the situation there is "completely under our control" after the Ukrainian invasion.
He said that it would be good for Ukraine to have a 30-day ceasefire, implying that it would not be so positive for Russia.
The Russian president said that his forces were on the offensive on all areas.
Putin said it would be good to have peace but warned there are "nuances" to the deal.
"If we ceased hostilities...what would that mean?" he asked.
"How will these 30 days be used? To continue forced mobilisation in Ukraine, to supply weapons there, to continue training for those mobilised?
"And how will the issues of control and verification be resolved? How will we be guaranteed that nothing like this will happen? Who will give orders to cease hostilities and what will be the price of these orders?"
US envoy Steven Witkoff is in Russia to discuss the US-brokered peace deal, and is expected to meet Putin later to discuss the terms.
Speaking earlier, Yuri Ushakov, Mr Putin's foreign policy adviser, suggested a ceasefire would grant a "temporary break for the Ukrainian military", helping Kyiv's forces at a time when Russia claimed to be on the front foot and pushing them out of the occupied territory in Kursk.
Former CIA director says ‘tyrant’ Putin won't surrender easily
He said the ceasefire would "give us nothing" but would give the Ukrainians "a chance to regroup, consolidate their forces and keep doing the same in the future".
The Prime Minister told the News Agents podcast it "doesn't entirely surprise me" that Russia had taken that position.
Asked about Mr Ushakov's remarks, the Prime Minister's official spokesman told reporters in Westminster it was "up to Russia to respond and agree to a ceasefire if it is serious about ending the fighting and bringing peace about".
He added: "I don't want to get ahead of the talks that the United States are going to have on these issues, so we will await the result of that.
"But we have always been very clear that in order to have a secure and lasting peace, security guarantees will be needed."
