It has now been more than three years since Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in an invasion, and there have been thousands of deaths along with millions of people displaced by the war.
US and Ukrainian officials met recently to discuss the potential for a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine agreed to.
However, any deal would also need to be agreed to by Russia, and US President Donald Trump said that Russian dictator Putin would face a ‘very bad punishment’ if he didn’t agree.
Putin today (13 March) said he ‘absolutely supports’ the idea of a ceasefire but laid down a number of conditions to pause his invasion of Ukraine, conditions which are not part of the ceasefire deal on the table.
Zelenskyy warned that Putin was trying to say no to the ceasefire without saying it outright (NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)
Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov appeared to pour cold water on the idea of agreeing the ceasefire deal on the table, and now Zelenskyy has released a statement calling out Putin.
He wrote: “Right now, we have all heard from Russia Putin’s highly predictable and manipulative words in response to the idea of a ceasefire on the front lines—at this moment he is, in fact, preparing to reject it.
“Of course, Putin is afraid to tell President Trump directly that he wants to continue this war and keep killing Ukrainians. That’s why, in Moscow, they are surrounding the ceasefire idea with such preconditions that it either fails or gets dragged out for as long as possible.
“Putin does this often—he doesn’t say ‘no’ outright, but he drags things out and makes reasonable solutions impossible. We see this as yet another round of Russian manipulation.
“There was a U.S. proposal for an unconditional ceasefire—in the air, at sea, and on the front lines. We in Ukraine accepted this proposal. We have heard from the American side that there is readiness to organize monitoring and verification. And this is absolutely feasible—with American and European capabilities.
“And during the ceasefire, to prepare answers to all questions about long-term security and a real, lasting peace, and to put a plan to end the war on the table. Ukraine is ready to work as quickly and constructively as possible. We have discussed this with U.S. representatives, and our European partners, as well as all our allies worldwide, are aware of it.
“We are not setting conditions that complicate the process—Russia is. As we have always said, the only one stalling, the only one being unconstructive, is Russia. They need this war. Putin has stolen years of peace and continues this war day after day.
“Now is the time to increase pressure on him. Sanctions must be applied—ones that will work. We will continue working with our American and European partners and with everyone in the world who wants peace—to force Russia to end this war.”
