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Officials in Kyiv do not believe that Vladimir Putin is “interested in peace” or any ceasefire as they wait on Russia’s decisions to pause the war.
The Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on Thursday that he opposes the ceasefire as it is nothing more than a “temporary respite” Ukrainian forces.
The US special envoy Steve Witkoff is currently in Moscow to hold talks with Putin over the proposed 30 day ceasefire.
Ushakov said on state TV, “We believe that our goal is a long-term peaceful settlement, and we are striving for that, a peaceful settlement that takes into account the legitimate interests of our country and our known concerns.”
In response to Ushakov’s statement, a source at the Ukrainian President’s Office told the Kyiv Independent they are “awaiting what Putin will say.”
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Trump warns Moscow there will be ‘devastating’ consequences if the war does not end
The Ukrainian politician Oleksandr Merezhko, chair of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, told the Kyiv Independent on Thursday he believes “Putin is absolutely not interested in peace or a true ceasefire.
“On the other hand, he is afraid of Trump. So, he will try to formulate his response to Trump’s proposal as a sort of agreement but with unacceptable demands.”
General Sir Richard Shirreff, the former deputy supreme allied NATO commander Europe, told the publication, “Putin has not backed off one iota from his maximalist demands, which we all know, (includes) the four (oblasts) of eastern Ukraine, and the neutralisation of Ukraine,”
“In other words, no NATO, the demilitarization of Ukraine, the ‘denazification’ of Ukraine, by which he means installing a puppet government.”
The British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he believes Putin’s “appetite for conflict” will grow even further unless there is a long-lasting peace deal in Ukraine.
Starmer said, “I profoundly believe that if we don’t secure a just peace and a lasting peace, then that insecurity, which we’ve already felt, will continue.
“And that means, here, higher prices, higher bills, the cost-of-living crisis going on for even longer – if you like, a choke hold on our future, which will be much, much harder for us to tackle.
“We know some basics: Putin’s appetite for conflict and for chaos is already there, and it will only grow.
“And Russia is already menacing our skies, our waters, our streets and our national security.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said we are all “yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia” regarding a ceasefire.
He said, “This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible.
“We hope that US pressure will be sufficient to compel Russia to end the war.”
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