Russia expects more truce talks with US once Witkoff briefs Trump

MOSCOW

Russia said Friday it expected Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump would discuss a U.S.-proposed ceasefire in Ukraine, but that U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff needed to relay Putin's thoughts to the American president first.

Witkoff met the Russian president late Thursday to lay out the details of the U.S. plan, which Ukraine agreed to on Tuesday.

"When Mr Witkoff brings all the information to President Trump, we will determine the timing of a conversation (between Trump and Putin)," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"There is an understanding on all sides that such a conversation is needed. There are reasons to be cautiously optimistic," Peskov added.

"There is still much to be done, but the president has nevertheless identified with President Trump's position."

The joint Ukrainian-U.S. plan envisages a 30-day interim ceasefire in the three-year conflict that could be extended by mutual agreement.

Putin said Thursday he backed the idea of a truce with Ukraine, but said he had "serious questions" about how it would be implemented that he wanted to discuss with Trump, and that it must lead to "long-term peace".

Putin made his first comments on the plan, saying he was "for" the proposed ceasefire, but that "there are nuances" and he had "serious questions" about how it would work.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Putin's comments as "very manipulative", suggesting in his nightly address that Putin is "actually preparing a refusal" to the proposal, but "is afraid to say directly to President Trump that he wants to continue this war".

The United States has called for Russia to agree a ceasefire without any conditions but Putin raised a number of objections, saying: "I think we need to talk to our American colleagues... Maybe have a telephone call with President Trump and discuss this with him."

Putin said a ceasefire was "the right idea", but would benefit Ukraine at a point when its troops are suffering setbacks while Russia is rapidly capturing territory. He also questioned how a ceasefire would be monitored along a front line measuring thousands of kilometres.

Trump said Putin's statement was "promising" but "not complete".

"A lot of the details of a final agreement have actually been discussed. Now we're going to see if Russia is there and, if not, it will be a very disappointing moment for the world," Trump said.

"I'd love to meet with him or talk to him. But we have to get it over with fast."

After visiting a military headquarters in the Kursk region on Wednesday, the Russian president hailed his troops' progress against Ukraine, saying they were "advancing in practically all areas" of the front line.

He said that "based on how the situation on the ground develops, we will agree on the next steps on ending the conflict and reaching agreements acceptable to all".

Russia has been grinding forwards on the battlefield for over a year, and claimed on Thursday to have driven Ukrainian forces from the town of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region.

Trump has expressed optimism that his team can secure a ceasefire, despite Moscow's battlefield gains.

  'Long-term peace' 

Putin said on Thursday: "We agree with proposals to cease hostilities, but on the basis that cessation would lead to long-term peace and address the root causes of the crisis."

Russia has already ruled out accepting foreign peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a ceasefire or long-term security guarantee for Kiev.

That could go against a request Ukraine has made of European allies to deploy military "contingents" on its territory once the conflict ends to protect against future attacks from Russia.

"It is absolutely unacceptable to us that army units of other states be stationed in Ukraine under any flag," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a briefing.

"Be it a foreign contingent or a military base... all this would mean the involvement of these countries in a direct armed conflict with our country."

  Battle for Kursk 

Russia, meanwhile, claimed rapid advances in the Kursk region — where Kiev launched a cross-border assault last August and has held territory since.

The Russian defense ministry said it had "liberated" Sudzha along with two other settlements in the border region.

Sudzha, home to around 5,000 people before the fighting, was the largest settlement Kiev seized after it launched its shock assault into Russia.

The Kursk region was one of Kiev's few bargaining chips in swapping land with Russia, which has occupied around a fifth of Ukraine since it took Crimea in 2014 and launched its full-scale assault in February 2022.

Ukraine now risks losing its grip on the border region entirely, after ceding dozens of square kilometres (miles) in the past week, according to military bloggers.

In Ukraine, the Sumy region's military administration said on Facebook on Thursday that it had ordered the mandatory evacuation of eight villages near the border with Kursk, due to "the exacerbation of the operational situation in the region" and "constant shelling by Russia".

Moscow's rapid advances in the region came after the U.S. paused intelligence-sharing and security support for Ukraine, although analysts and officials cautioned against making a direct link.

Washington said it had resumed its support for Kiev ahead of the talks with Moscow.