Ceasefire for Ukraine

Putin wants to give answers today – and provokes

A clear signal: Putin appeared in uniform for the first time since the invasion.

(Bild: AFP/HANDOUT)

Two days after the US proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine, the Kremlin has become more concrete. President Vladimir Putin will face the press on Thursday. However, his closest associates have already rejected the deal.

According to state news agency Tass, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin would answer questions on Thursday after talks with Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko. "Everything will depend on what the reporters will ask," Putin's mouthpiece said when asked about the content. Representatives of the USA and Russia had already spoken on the phone on Wednesday.

Ceasefire only a "breathing space"
Russian presidential advisor Yuri Ushakov was already more specific. He clearly criticized the ceasefire proposed by the USA. It would only give the Ukrainian army a "breathing space", Ushakov said on Thursday. Nobody needs measures that only pretend to be peaceful. Russia needs long-term agreements that take Moscow's interests and reservations into account. A clear rebuff. He later became even clearer: "This will get us nowhere!"

According to insiders, Russia has already presented the USA with a list of conditions for an end to the war in Ukraine. However, the exact content is not known, as reported by the Reuters news agency. The demands are rather broad and similar to those already expressed in the past. These include Ukraine not becoming a NATO member, no foreign troops being stationed in Ukraine and Ukraine making territorial concessions to Russia.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry made it clear that the sanctions against Russia would have to be lifted in order to reach an agreement. These were "illegal", Peskov also said. The Kremlin spokesman did not reveal any further details about possible talks. "One thing at a time."

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the initial responses from Russia were "as expected ... unsatisfactory to say the least, not to mention cryptic and mysterious."

Moscow reacted cautiously
Russia had already reacted coolly to the agreement between Washington and Kiev on a ceasefire in Ukraine. US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that US negotiators were already on their way to Russia for talks. The US President said of Russian President Putin: "I hope he will agree to a ceasefire." However, there is no indication of this.

Kremlin chief provokes in uniform
According to the Kremlin, Putin visited his troops in the Russian region of Kursk on Wednesday, where the Russians are pushing back the Ukrainian advance. While in uniform, he announced that prisoners of war would henceforth be treated as "terrorists". Where exactly the pictures were taken remains unclear. Experts also interpreted the martial appearance as a rejection of the offered ceasefire. Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov declared that the Ukrainian units in Kursk were surrounded and that Kiev's plans had failed. The Ukrainian army leadership announced a partial withdrawal if the situation does not improve.

Ukraine calls for further pressure on Russia
Despite its willingness to agree to a ceasefire in the war with Russia, Ukraine called for further pressure from its allies on Moscow. "We must move towards peace. We must create security guarantees. We must free our people," said President Volodymyr Zelensky in his evening video address on Wednesday.

The Kremlin's quasi-cancellation showed "that Russia wants to prolong the war and delay peace for as long as possible", he added on Thursday. "We hope that the pressure from the USA will be enough to persuade Russia to end the war."

Meanwhile, a group of five important European NATO states is working on military security guarantees for Ukraine, including a possible deployment of troops, in order to secure a peace agreement with Russia. However, following talks in Paris on Wednesday evening, the defense ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK have not yet provided any details on the concrete form and strength of such a peacekeeping force.