Reuters: Putin Wary Of Being Trapped

• 12.03.2025, 16:07

The Kremlin's attitude to the 30-day ceasefire proposal has been revealed.

Russian sources have reacted cautiously to the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, which is supported by Kiev. They said that any deal to end the war must take into account the situation on the battlefield.

This is reported by Reuters.

A senior Russian source told Reuters that Vladimir Putin would find it difficult to agree to the idea of a ceasefire without discussing the terms and receiving any guarantees.

“It is difficult for Putin to agree to this in its current form. Putin is in a strong position because Russia is advancing,” the anonymous source said.

The source said that without ceasefire guarantees, Russia's position could quickly weaken, and the West could then accuse Russia of failing to end the war.

Another senior Russian source said that from Moscow’s perspective, the ceasefire proposal looked like a trap, as it would be difficult for Putin to stop the war without concrete guarantees or promises.

A third Russian source said the overall picture was that the United States had agreed to resume military aid and intelligence sharing, and dressed it up with a ceasefire proposal.

The Kremlin has yet to comment on the information.

Putin said in December: “We don’t need a ceasefire, we need a long-term peace, with guarantees for the Russian Federation and its citizens. How to provide these guarantees is a difficult question.”

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people, displaced millions, and sparked the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

US President Donald Trump reversed previous US policy toward Russia, opening bilateral talks with Moscow and suspending military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, saying it must agree to terms to end the war.

However, the United States agreed to resume military aid and intelligence sharing on March 11 after Kyiv said it was willing to support a ceasefire proposal.