Russian sources on Wednesday expressed scepticism toward a U.S.-backed proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, emphasizing that any agreement to halt hostilities must acknowledge Russian territorial gains and address Moscow’s security concerns.
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties, displaced millions, and sparked the most significant confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
U.S. President Donald Trump has reversed previous U.S. policy on Russia, opening up bilateral talks with Moscow and suspending military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, saying it must agree to terms to end the war.
The United States agreed on Tuesday to resume military aid and intelligence sharing after Kyiv said it was ready to support a ceasefire proposal.
A senior Russian source told Reuters that President Vladimir Putin would find it difficult to agree to the ceasefire idea without hashing out terms and getting some sort of guarantees.
“It is difficult for Putin to agree to this in its current form,” the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, told Reuters. “Putin has a strong position because Russia is advancing.”
The source said that without guarantees alongside a ceasefire, Russia’s position could swiftly become weaker and that Russia could then be blamed by the West for failing to end the war.
Another senior Russian source said that the ceasefire proposal looked from Moscow’s perspective to be a trap because Putin would find it hard to halt the war without some concrete guarantees or pledges.
Team BharatShakti (With inputs from Reuters)
