Putin wants direct White House talks before Ukraine ceasefire deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Russia agrees in principle with the U.S.-led ceasefire plan backed by Ukraine earlier this week, but stopped short of signing up to any deal, arguing that it needed further negotiation and must lead to “enduring peace.”

“The idea [of a ceasefire] itself is correct and we are certainly supporting it, but there are issues that need to be discussed. I think that we need to talk to our American colleagues and partners. Maybe call President Trump and discuss it together. But we support the very idea of ending this conflict through peaceful means,” he said, according to an NBC translation.

Putin also said a deal must “proceed from the fact that this cessation should be such that it would lead to long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of this crisis.”

“We are in favor of it but there are nuances,” he said when asked about the 30-day ceasefire deal brokered by the White House. Kyiv backed the plan on Tuesday, contingent on Moscow’s agreement. Putin was speaking at a news conference in Moscow after talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Putin also questioned whether the 30 days would be used to “supply weapons” or “train newly mobilized units,” and how potential violations of a ceasefire would be monitored.

Speaking during a press briefing with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday, “We’re getting word that things are going OK in Russia, that doesn’t mean anything until we hear what the final outcome is.”

“Hopefully they all want to end this nightmare,” he said.

A U.S. delegation led by Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Moscow for ceasefire talks on Thursday.

Earlier indications from Russian officials appeared to indicate the country would not immediately sign up to the U.S.-led deal. Yuri Ushakov, a Russian presidential aide, did not confirm or deny but noted that a truce would give Ukraine a chance to boost its forces, calling the plan “a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military, nothing more.”

The draft deal would see all Russian and Ukrainian military activities cease, potentially beyond the 30-day term by mutual agreement. It also requires “the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children to Russia.”

The U.S. immediately lifted its pause on sharing intelligence and military aid with Ukraine following its sign-up to the deal.

Analysts say that while Russia has incurred heavy losses on the battlefield, it is now advancing slowly but steadily in Ukraine, which has also been thrown into jeopardy by its souring relationship with the U.S.

Putin also said Thursday that if the U.S. and Russia struck an energy sector cooperation agreement then Russia could provide a gas pipeline for Europe, benefiting the Continent with cheaper energy prices, according to Reuters reporting.

European natural gas futures dated to April were 3.5% lower following his comments.