Which should be soon as it’s nearly 7:00 pm in Moscow??
Donald’s Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday night in Moscow as the White House pushes the Kremlin to accept a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine.
“The meeting between Witkoff and President Vladimir Putin will take place in a closed format this evening,” Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said in response to a question from Russian state-owned news outlet Izvestia.
Stay tuned..
It’s being claimed Putin accepted the ceasefire- I'm not seeing that as a correct claim at this time- 12:30 pm edt or 7:30 pm Moscow time.
Putin agrees with the idea of a ceasefire with nuances- I’m taking this as a so far, no agreement.
Russia is prepared to accept a proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, but only if it leads to “long-term peace” and addresses the “root causes” of the conflict, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday during a joint press conference with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
“We agree with the proposal to cease hostilities. But we believe this cessation should lead to long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of the conflict,” Putin told reporters.
He raised concerns about Ukrainian troops who are still reportedly present in southwestern Russia’s Kursk region, questioning how they would be handled under a ceasefire agreement.
“Are we supposed to let them go after they committed mass crimes against civilians? Or will the Ukrainian leadership order them to lay down arms and surrender?” he asked.
This is coming from a press conference Putin had with Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko
“We are for [a cease-fire], but there are nuances,” Putin added during a press conference in Moscow with Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko
Putin said there were unanswered questions in the proposal, such as what to do about Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
“If we have a cease-fire, does that mean that everyone there would leave?” Putin said. “Should we release them [Ukrainian troops] after they committed crimes against the population? Or would they surrender?”
“The idea itself is correct, and we undoubtedly support it, but there are issues we need to discuss — including with our American partners. Perhaps I will discuss it with President Trump in a phone call,” he said.
Putin is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, later on Thursday. Witkoff arrived in Moscow to formally present Washington’s ceasefire proposal.
On Wednesday, Trump said he hoped the Russian president would agree to the truce or face “very bad, devastating” financial sanctions.
“But I don’t want to do that because I want to see peace. And we’re getting close to getting something done,” Trump told reporters.
Still waiting….