On Thursday, at a press briefing in Astana, Kazakhstan, Russian President Vladimir Putin underscored the importance of Ukraine taking irreversible actions that are satisfactory to Russia in order to establish a ceasefire.
Putin said, “we cannot allow that after the ceasefire the enemy took advantage of this ceasefire to improve its position, arm itself, replenish its army through forced mobilisation, and be prepared to continue the armed conflict.
The Kremlin also turned down an offer by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to mediate between Moscow and Kiev adding that, “We need to ensure that the other side agrees to take steps that are irreversible and would be acceptable to the Russian Federation.”
When asked about the recent U.S. presidential debate, Putin said he doesn’t “really pay attention to what’s going on there.”
Ukraine rejected the ceasefire terms proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin last month, labeling them as “absurd” and accusing him of attempting to deceive global powers and sabotage authentic peace initiatives.
In his address, Putin asserted that Russia would cease the conflict in Ukraine solely if Kyiv abandoned its NATO aspirations and ceded control of the four disputed provinces to Moscow.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry denounced his remarks as “manipulative statements designed to mislead the international community and hinder diplomatic endeavors towards attaining a fair resolution.”
Putin expressed that he viewed Donald Trump’s assertion about ending hostilities in one day with seriousness, stating that he was not aware of the specific proposals Trump might have in mind.
However, Putin added that he believed Trump’s intentions were genuine.
Putin traveled to Kazakhstan on Wednesday to participate in a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the city of Astana.