Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to support the idea of a ceasefire in Ukraine, but Russia has not received answers to key questions it has regarding the ceasefire proposed by the Donald Trump administration.
Those are the words of the Kremlin, which has intensified attacks on neighboring Ukraine in recent days. Trump, who wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeatedly called for an end to the three-year conflict in Ukraine and warned of the dangers of it escalating into a global war between the United States and Russia.
Putin said he was ready to accept a peace proposal from Washington, but stressed that the fighting could not stop until questions were clarified on a number of key conditions. The Kremlin insisted on Monday that those questions had remained unanswered.
"President Putin supports the idea of a ceasefire, but first a number of questions need to be answered. These questions still remain hanging in the air, and so far no one has given them answers."
Putin has previously said that any peace deal must address what Moscow sees as the root causes of the conflict; namely the clash between Russia and the West over the future of Ukraine, and the post-Soviet expansion of NATO towards Russia's borders.
According to Putin, the ceasefire should ensure that Ukraine does not simply use it to regroup, and key questions regarding the certification of the ceasefire should be clarified.
On Monday, the Kremlin blamed Kiev for the lack of answers, saying it had failed to control nationalist and extremist units.
For his part, Zelensky sees Putin's terms for a ceasefire as unrealistic and accuses the Russian leader of wanting to continue the war. Moscow has intensified attacks in recent days, killing 20 people in the city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday, including nine children.
Three days of mourning were declared in Zelensky's hometown after the deadliest attack of the year. (A2 Televizion)
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