On Thursday morning, Yuri Ushakov, a top Kremlin aide, said the ceasefire plan the United States and Ukraine agreed to “gives nothing to us.”
Hours later, Russian President Vladimir Putin came back and said, “We agree with the proposals to cease hostilities.”
It seemed like a complete turnaround.
But let’s be clear — this is not the same as agreeing to the ceasefire. It’s a stall for time.
Moscow is in the middle of a military offensive to take back territory that Ukraine captured in Kursk last year. Sources tell WTOP, and it’s pretty clear, the Kremlin wants as much territory as it can get before the fighting ends.
“This cessation should be such that it would lead to long-term peace and would eliminate the original causes of this crisis,” Putin added.
The original cause of the crisis was Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.
The “causes” Putin is referring to are the U.S. and the West providing Ukraine with arms and other support that made them strong enough to repel Russia’s attempts to take over Ukraine.
He wants to get rid of that assistance — something Ukraine will never agree to.
Why?
First, they want their territory back. They want the land Russia has taken illegally since this war began.
Second, they want the U.S. to resume military aid and intelligence sharing with them. President Donald Trump’s administration has already agreed to it, but they need that to be permanent.
The third element, and perhaps the most critical, is that Ukraine also wants security guarantees from the U.S. that it will not allow Russia to restart this war once Ukraine signs on the dotted line to end it.
Fourth on Ukraine’s list: They want a minerals deal with the U.S. to go through. Ukraine actually suggested that in September 2024, before Trump was reelected as president. But they want that deal to go through now; and they want it to go through on terms that are favorable to them.
The back and forth in Moscow tells us a lot about the tremendous pressure this proposal is putting on the Kremlin.
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