Putin agrees to Ukraine ceasefire, says ‘underlying causes’ of war must be solved

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he agrees with the idea of a ceasefire between his country and Ukraine.

Speaking on Thursday during a press conference after a meeting with Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus, Putin said the underlying causes of the crisis should be addressed.

Earlier, a team of United States envoys arrived in Moscow to pitch Ukraine’s terms for a peace deal.

The conditions were proposed after talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, said he would take the offer to Moscow, adding that “the ball is in their (Russia’s) court”.

Asked about his thoughts on the matter, Putin praised mediation efforts but added his proposals.

“We agree with the proposal to cease hostilities, but it should lead to enduring peace and remove underlying causes of this crisis,” Putin said.

Putin also quizzed components of the deal, saying there are “nuances” to it.

“If we ceased hostilities…what would that mean?” he asked, referring to Russia’s recent seizure of the Kursk region, a key area Ukraine sought to use in the negotiations.

“Who will give orders to cease hostilities, and what will these orders be worth?”

The Russian president also asked who will decide a “violation of the possible ceasefire agreement”.

“All these issues need to be painstakingly studied by both sides,” he said.

Putin added that the idea of a ceasefire is “good and we absolutely support it but there are issues that we need to discuss”.

“We need to negotiate with our American colleagues and partners,” he said and “maybe” have a phone call with US President Donald Trump.

In a separate press conference, Trump said he would “love” to meet with Putin in a bid to end the fighting in Ukraine.