Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump has described discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding a proposed American ceasefire deal in Ukraine as “productive.”
The talks took place on Thursday evening in Moscow between Putin and U.S. Ambassador Steve Whitcoff. Following the meeting, the Kremlin stated that it agrees with the United States’ “cautious efforts towards peace.”
In a social media post, President Trump expressed optimism, stating that the discussions provided “a great opportunity to finally end this horrific, bloody war.”
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Putin of using negotiations as a means to prolong the conflict rather than end it. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also warned that Putin should not be allowed to “play games” with ceasefire proposals.
Earlier this week, Ukraine accepted the U.S.-proposed ceasefire agreement, but Russia has yet to formally agree.
On Thursday, President Putin acknowledged that “the idea of a ceasefire is correct, and we support it, but there are complexities.” However, he also laid out several stringent conditions, which President Zelensky dismissed as a manipulation of peace efforts.
In a strong statement on social media, Zelensky argued that “Putin cannot exit this war because he has nothing left without it.”
He further accused the Russian leader of deliberately undermining diplomacy by setting “extremely difficult and unacceptable conditions” before agreeing to a ceasefire.
“Putin will keep everyone engaged in endless negotiations and discussions,” Zelensky said. “He is wasting days, weeks, and months on meaningless talks while his forces continue to kill innocent people.”
Despite the tensions, the White House remains hopeful, stating that both sides have “never been this close to achieving peace.”
