Kremlin response to Ukraine ceasefire hints at Putin's dilemma
Despite flirting with Trump there is little evidence Putin has shifted from his core war goals: cementing his landgrabs in Ukraine and stopping it joining NATO.
There were “certainly reasons to be cautiously optimistic” about the prospect of peace in Ukraine, the Kremlin said Friday, after President Donald Trump’s envoy met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
The comments by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov after Putin met with Trump administration envoy Steve Witkoff echoed those of the Russian president, who said Thursday that he in theory accepted the ceasefire proposed by the United States and Ukraine — but only on terms tantamount to a victory over Ukraine.
It was an emphatic "yes, but."
“We agree with the proposals to stop the hostilities,” Putin said in a speech. But only if it leads “to long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of this crisis.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on Thursday.Maxim Shemetov / AFP - Getty ImagesThat term — “root causes” — is a reference to long-held Russian grievances about what it sees as NATO’s eastward expansion. Western officials and analysts reject this, saying Putin wants to subjugate Ukraine, drawing it into Russia’s sphere of influence and away from its European tilt.Despite flirting with the Trump administration, there is little evidence Putin has shifted from his core war goals: cementing his land grabs in Ukraine and stopping it from ever joining NATO. Even so, Trump on Thursday called Putin's remark “a promising statement.”
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