Kremlin sources told Reuters that Vladimir Putin is unlikely to support a 30-day ceasefire agreed to by U.S. and Ukrainian delegations on Tuesday. Experts say Kyiv has successfully shifted the game to the other side, but the Russian military maintains a battlefield advantage that Moscow would not want to lose.
Russia must agree to the terms of a ceasefire and receive certain guarantees, a senior official told Reuters. “It is difficult for Putin to agree to this agreement in its current form. Putin is in a strong position because Russia is on the offensive.”
Without the guarantees that would accompany a ceasefire, Russia’s position could quickly weaken, and the West would then start accusing it of not wanting to end the war, he said.
Another senior Russian source said that the ceasefire proposal looked like a trap from Moscow's perspective, as it would be difficult for Putin to stop the fighting without some guarantees and promises.
