Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 14: Even as the Russian president Vladimir Putin has expressed certain reservations about the 30 days ceasefire offer and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky sharply reacted to his “skepticism,” the US president Donald Trump on Friday claimed that he had “very productive discussions” with Mr Putin and that there was “very good chance” that the war with Ukraine could come to an end.
“We had very good and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Friday. Trump said he had also “strongly” urged Putin to “spare the lives” of Ukrainian soldiers who are surrounded by the Russian troops.
“BUT, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN TROOPS ARE COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY THE RUSSIAN MILITARY, AND IN A VERY BAD AND VULNERABLE POSITION,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II. God bless them all!!!” he added.
The US envoy Steve Witkoff had a long meeting with Putin in Moscow on Thursday night, a source briefed on the matter. The Truth Social post did not say whether Trump and Putin had spoken to each other. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had used the meeting to convey “signals” to Trump through Witkoff. He said Russia and the US would work out the timing of a phone call between their presidents once Witkoff had briefed Trump.
The US president has said he wanted Russia and Ukraine to agree a swift ceasefire to pause fighting in a conflict which he has warned has the potential to spiral into World War Three and has already cost many lives on both sides.
The Trump-Putin talks came at a time when Russia and Ukraine are pushing for an end to the deadly war that has been underway since February 2022. Ukraine has already agreed to the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire during talks in Saudi Arabia this week.
Earlier on Thursday, Putin reacted to the US proposal for a 30-day immediate ceasefire, saying that Moscow was open to it but also insisted that crucial terms and concerns must be addressed beforehand.
“We agree with the proposal for a ceasefire (with Ukraine) to cease hostilities, but we proceed from the fact that this ceasefire should lead to an enduring peace and should remove the root causes of this crisis,” the Russian President had said at a joint press conference with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Putin has also expressed his doubts about whether the Ukrainian forces would comply with the ceasefire and raised concerns that the halt in fighting could allow Zelensky’s forces to regroup. “How will other aspects be dealt with along the 2,000-kilometer contact line? As you know, Russian troops are advancing practically in every sector, and all the conditions are there for us to besiege fairly large units. So what would happen during those 30 days?” Putin had asked.
Putin had also raised the question as to who would ensure the enforcement of the deal and how violations of the ceasefire would be addressed. He also stressed that there was a need for further negotiations, including a direct phone call with Trump.
Mr Zelensky took a sharp view of Moscow’s skepticism for a ceasefire and accused Putin of attempting to stretch the war rather than seeking a solution. “Regrettably, for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made. This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible,” he had said.