{"id":1739238,"date":"2025-03-14T15:49:59","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T14:49:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/?p=1739238"},"modified":"2025-03-14T17:01:58","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T16:01:58","slug":"ukraine-plan-as-russia-pushes-for-clarity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/en\/latest-news\/2025-03-14\/ukraine-plan-as-russia-pushes-for-clarity\/","title":{"rendered":"Putin holds back Trump\u2019s Ukraine plan as Russia pushes for clarity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Moscow, Mar 14 (EFE).\u2014 Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought further clarifications and assurances before approving US President Donald Trump\u2019s proposed ceasefire in Ukraine, the Kremlin said Friday, underscoring Moscow\u2019s strategic leverage in the negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Putin\u2019s meeting with White House special envoy Mike Witkoff, the first high-level US-Russia engagement since 2022, raised cautious hopes for diplomacy but also highlighted deep Russian reservations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the Kremlin\u2019s engagement as a delaying tactic to prolong the war, as fighting raged on in the contested Kursk region of Russia, still partly under Ukraine\u2019s control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPutin supports Trump’s position on the settlement, but yesterday he posed several questions that require joint discussion,\u201d Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.<\/p>\n\n\n
\nBelarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall in Moscow, Russia, 14 March 2025. EFE-EPA\/MAXIM SHEMETOV \/POOL<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Putin\u2019s meeting with Witkoff marked the first direct engagement between the Russian leader and a senior US official since the war began in 2022, marking a potential thaw in Moscow-Washington ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Without a doubt, there are reasons for cautious optimism,” Peskov said, cautioning that “much remains to be done.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the meeting, Putin gave Witkoff additional messages and \u201csignals\u201d for Trump, which likely include Moscow\u2019s reservations about the US initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov criticized the proposal as rushed and biased, particularly concerning verification measures and assurances that the ceasefire would not allow Ukraine to regroup and rearm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russia has already rejected the idea of deploying European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, even under a non-NATO mandate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Peskov declined to confirm reports that Moscow had rejected US special envoy Keith Kellogg due to his perceived pro-Ukrainian stance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt would be absurd to suggest that Russia interferes in US internal affairs,\u201d Peskov said, adding that \u201cany relationship must be built on mutual respect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
\nBelarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko (2-L) speaks to officials as he attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall in Moscow, Russia, 14 March 2025. EFE-EPA\/MAXIM SHEMETOV \/POOL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Waiting for a Trump-Putin Call<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once Trump receives Moscow\u2019s response to the ceasefire plan, both leaders are expected to hold a phone conversation, their first since Feb. 12, when they agreed to explore negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“There is a mutual understanding that such a conversation is necessary,” Peskov said, though he admitted no date had been set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Putin stopped short of outright rejecting the ceasefire, he did not fully embrace it, choosing instead to continue military operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But he expressed appreciation for Trump\u2019s attention to the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump, speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House, signaled readiness to engage with Putin and acknowledged that the US had already discussed territorial issues with Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re hearing positive news from Russia,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI hope they make the right decision.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, however, accused Putin of using delaying tactics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUkraine said \u2018yes\u2019 to the ceasefire because we want peace. Instead of agreeing, Putin is setting conditions. The rest of his words are just a smokescreen,\u201d Sybiha said.<\/p>\n\n\n
\nA still image taken from handout video provided by the Russian Presidential Press Service shows Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting military headquarters in the Kursk region, Russia, 12 March 2025. EFE-EPA\/RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT — BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE — MANDATORY CREDIT — HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY\/NO SALES <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Russia Gains Ground in Kursk<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, fighting continued in Russia\u2019s Kursk region, a major flashpoint in the conflict. Russian forces claimed control over Goncharovka, a town of fewer than 3,000 residents near Sudzha, a key Ukrainian resistance stronghold recaptured by Russia on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dressed in camouflage for the first time since the war began, Putin visited troops in Kursk, ordering them to \u201ccrush\u201d Ukrainian forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the past two weeks, Russia has reclaimed nearly 30 towns and over 200 square kilometers of territory previously held by Ukraine since August 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Putin warned Ukrainian troops still entrenched in the region to surrender or face annihilation. \u201cThey have two choices: surrender or die.\u201d EFE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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