The Kremlin has responded for the first time to Ukraine’s acceptance of a US-proposed 30-day ceasefire, warning that Russia will not act prematurely and needs to receive further details from Washington.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia is carefully analyzing statements following the US-Ukraine discussions. He added that US officials will relay the ceasefire details to Moscow through diplomatic channels.
Contacts between officials are expected in the coming days, but the US has not yet requested a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, Peskov stated. He also emphasized that such a call could be “organized very quickly” if needed.
Russian sources told Reuters that President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to accept the US-backed 30-day ceasefire proposal approved by Ukraine. A senior Russian official indicated that any agreement would have to account for Russia’s battlefield gains and address Moscow’s concerns.
“It is difficult for Putin to agree to this in its current form,” the source said, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the issue. “Putin has a strong position because Russia is advancing,” they added.
The source also warned that without security guarantees alongside the ceasefire, Russia’s strategic position could weaken, allowing the West to shift blame onto Moscow for prolonging the war.
Another senior Russian official described the ceasefire proposal as a potential trap, arguing that Putin would struggle to halt military operations without concrete assurances. The Kremlin has yet to issue an official response.
Putin has consistently ruled out short-term truces. “We don’t need a truce, we need a long-term peace secured by guarantees for the Russian Federation and its citizens,” he said in December.
Russia currently controls nearly a fifth of Ukraine’s territory, approximately 113,000 square kilometers (43,630 square miles), and has been making incremental gains for months.
Ukraine’s hold on a portion of Russia’s Kursk region, seized in August, appears to be slipping, according to open-source war maps and Russian military estimates.
A military expert has suggested Ukraine may have had little choice but to agree to the US ceasefire proposal. Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said Kyiv appears to be stabilizing relations with Washington, and a minerals deal might soon be signed.
However, Savill cautioned that Ukraine may have made concessions behind the scenes. “We don’t yet know what terms and conditions Russia will demand in return,” he told presenter Wilfred Frost.
Asked who stands to benefit most from the ceasefire, Savill noted that Russia currently has “momentum” on the battlefield, particularly in the Kursk region. “A ceasefire, especially one that restores US military aid and intelligence, will be enormously beneficial to Ukraine,” he said.
“It will frustrate the Russians, who might have hoped to eliminate the Kursk pocket before entering serious negotiations. However, much will depend on how Moscow maneuvers the terms of any ceasefire,” he added.
