Free Republic

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia wouldn’t agree to an immediate end to the fighting in Ukraine, as Moscow’s army made rapid gains toward expelling Ukraine’s forces from its Kursk region.Any pause in fighting at this point would be in Ukraine’s interests, he said, adding that Russia wanted a truce that led “to a lasting peace and the elimination of the root causes” of the war, which he described as a crisis. Putin’s comments were the first official response from Moscow to a U.S.-backed proposal agreed by Ukraine this week to pause the war, now in its fourth year. They...

Key Points Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Russia agrees in principle with the U.S.-led ceasefire plan backed by Ukraine earlier this week, but stopped short of signing up to any deal. “We are in favor of it but there are nuances,” Putin said when asked about the 30-day ceasefire deal brokered by the White House. ============================================================= Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Russia agrees in principle with the U.S.-led ceasefire plan backed by Ukraine earlier this week, but stopped short of signing up to any deal, arguing that it needed further negotiation and must lead to “enduring...