U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. proposal for ceasefire negotiations in Ukraine involved "good and productive" talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This follows a meeting between Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, where the Kremlin expressed a "cautiously optimistic" attitude towards the peace process, similar to that of the United States. These discussions are aimed at finding a viable path toward de-escalation and a potential resolution.
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03-15, 2025Trump posted on Truth Social that the talks offered "a very good opportunity to finally end this horrible, bloody war." However, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy accused Putin of trying to stall negotiations to continue the war, while Sir Keir Starmer stated that the Russian president cannot be allowed to "play games" with ceasefire proposals. Earlier this week, Ukraine accepted the U.S.-proposed ceasefire agreement, but Russia has yet to agree, adding complexity to the situation.
Putin had previously stated that the idea of a ceasefire was "correct, and we support it… but there are nuances," and presented numerous stringent conditions for peace, which Zelenskyy called a "manipulative" response. Zelenskyy continued his criticism in a series of posts on X on Friday, writing: "Putin cannot get out of this war because then he will have nothing." He believes Putin is doing everything possible to undermine diplomacy, setting extremely difficult and unacceptable conditions from the outset, even before a ceasefire.
Zelenskyy stated that Putin would drag everyone into "endless discussions… wasting time in meaningless negotiations, wasting weeks and even months, while his guns continue to kill people." He emphasized that every condition Putin proposes is simply an attempt to block any diplomatic efforts, warning that Russia has consistently done this. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stated that the Kremlin's "complete disregard" for Trump's ceasefire proposal shows that Putin is "not serious about peace."
Sir Keir Starmer stated that if Russia is ultimately willing to return to the negotiating table, there must be a willingness to oversee a ceasefire to ensure it is a serious and lasting peace. If they do not, every effort needs to be made to increase economic pressure on Russia to ensure an end to the war. He will chair a video conference on Saturday with up to 25 leaders to discuss the peacekeeping mission proposed at the London summit earlier this month. The organization, which he called a "coalition of the willing," will work to prevent future Russian aggression if the U.S.-proposed ceasefire takes effect.
In his social media posts on Friday, Zelenskyy "strongly" urged "all those who can influence Russia, especially the United States, to take strong measures to help," because Putin will not stop the war on his own. He stated that Putin is "lying about the true situation on the battlefield… the casualties" and "the true state of his economy," explaining that Putin is "doing everything possible to ensure that diplomacy fails." However, the White House believes that the two sides "have never been so close to peace."
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted in an interview with reporters that Putin's meeting with Witkoff in Moscow was "productive." She added that Trump has been "putting pressure on Putin and the Russians to do the right thing." Trump's social media posts also "strongly urged" that Putin should spare the lives of Ukrainian troops, whom he described as being surrounded by Russian forces, adding that it would be a "terrible massacre" unseen since World War II.
Previously, Putin said on Thursday that Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region had been "isolated" and were trying to leave, and that Russia was stepping up efforts to retake areas invaded by Ukraine last year. But on Friday, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces denied claims that its forces were surrounded, calling them "false and fabricated." In a statement, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated that operations were continuing and that Ukrainian troops had retreated and "successfully regrouped" into better defensive positions. The statement said, "There is no threat of our troops being surrounded."
In response to Trump's request, Putin said that if Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk lay down their weapons and surrender, they would be "treated with dignity" in accordance with the norms of international law and the laws of the Russian Federation. Meanwhile, G7 members are meeting in Quebec, and Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said that all members agreed with the U.S.-proposed Ukraine-backed ceasefire proposal. "We are now studying and focusing on Russia's response, so ultimately the ball is now in Russia's court in Ukraine."
British Foreign Secretary David Lamy also stated at the meeting that member states unanimously called for an unconditional ceasefire. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after the meeting that the United States does not make foreign policy decisions based on what leaders say on social media or at press conferences, and emphasized that "the only way to end this war is through negotiation."
