By Sama Marwan,
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed support for the U.S. plan for a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine but insisted that he would only agree under his own conditions. He outlined a series of demands requiring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to make concessions, which some experts have described as tantamount to Ukraine’s surrender.
According to The Independent, Putin stated:
“We agree to the ceasefire proposals, but our position is based on the assumption that the ceasefire will lead to a lasting peace.”
Speaking at a press conference, he stressed that any such agreement must address the “root causes” of the conflict.
Putin also broadly endorsed former U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed 30-day truce, which Zelensky had accepted. However, the Russian leader pointed out “fine details” that still needed to be addressed. He reiterated that any temporary ceasefire could only hold if there was a guarantee that Ukraine would not join NATO. Additionally, he insisted that Moscow would not return the territories it has seized.
He noted that “serious questions” remained about how the ceasefire would be implemented, referring to talks between Washington and Kyiv in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Criticism of Putin’s Response
Putin’s response sparked criticism from senior diplomats and analysts, according to The Independent.
Former U.S. ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, told the BBC:
“We are forcing Ukraine to surrender. Putin is occupying their land, denying them sovereignty over their alliances, and now he’s telling them they can’t even import weapons. This is unacceptable from Zelensky’s perspective.”
Vitaly Shevchenko, BBC’s Russia affairs editor, described Putin’s stance as a “disguised rejection” of the ceasefire plan. He added:
“The conditions he is imposing on Ukraine would be disastrous to accept – no more arms supplies, no more mobilization, surrender instead of a Ukrainian troop withdrawal from the Kursk region.”
Shevchenko further noted that Putin’s demand to address the “root causes” of the conflict was a veiled attempt to achieve his initial invasion goal—erasing Ukraine from the map.
