Putin 'agrees to ceasefire' with Ukraine and thanks Donald Trump

By Charlie Bradley, Assistant Features Editor, Conor Wilson, News Reporter

Putin (Image: Sky)

Vladimir Putin has said that he agrees “with the proposals for the ceasefire” in Ukraine as the two countries move closer to a pause in the fighting. Speaking at a press conference with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the Russian leader said that he had lots of questions about how a ceasefire would look and work, highlighting that he needed to speak with US President Donald Trump before any agreement could be reached.

Earlier this week, Ukraine said that it was ready to agree to a 30-day ceasefire with western leaders saying that the ball was now in the court of Russia. Initially, it appeared unlikely that Russia would agree to any cessation in fighting, with Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov claiming that the deal was “hasty” and would mainly benefit Ukraine. He told reporters: “I have stated our position that this is nothing other than a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military, nothing more.

The Russian leader says that he still has questions about how a ceasefire would work (Image: Getty)

“It seems to me that no one needs any steps that imitate peaceful actions in this situation.”

But Putin’s comments breathe new life into a potential peace deal, an area where the new US administration has expended significant energy into securing.

However, there is still some way to go before fighting stops, with Putin insisting that "lots of questions about the ceasefire" as he thanked Donald Trump for his efforts in mediating.

He added: “We agree with the proposals for the ceasefire, but our position is based on the assumption that the ceasefire would lead to long-term peace, something that would remove the initial reasons for the crisis".

The Russian leader was speaking at a press conference with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (Image: Getty)

His comments come at a time when Russia has been able to step up its offensive, especially in the Russian territory of Kursk where Zelensky’s forces have been hampered by the removal of US intelligence.

Last week, the United States announced it was pausing military aid and intelligence sharing with the Ukrainians severely limiting their ability to hold off Russian attacks on the ground and in the air.

On Tuesday following Ukraine’s agreement to a ceasefire, the US announced it would resume intelligence sharing with Kyiv, although Ukraine has lost significant swathes of territory in the last week as a result of the removal.

Such has been the Russian success in Kursk that Putin was able to visit the frontline yesterday dressed in military fatigues.

Following the visit, the ex-KGB spy declared that Russia was on the offensive in every area adding that the "fast-changing" developments on the front” would have an impact on any negotiations.