Free Republic

Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his Thursday news conference that he has “reservations” about a 30-day ceasefire proposal in the Ukraine war, saying it’s not clear how the situation would develop in the region of Kursk and elsewhere if a ceasefire was implemented. Putin lauded the US idea as “great and correct” and said Russia supports it in theory, but there are many things that still need to be discussed before a deal is agreed to. Putin went on to raise many questions about a potential ceasefire, including how it would be verified. He also said the ceasefire must...

Russian forces advanced further into Kursk in a major operation to encircle Ukrainian soldiers, pro-Kremlin war bloggers said. Ukraine has occupied the Russian region since a surprise offensive last August and hoped to use it as a bargaining chip in any negotiations. Last week, Vladimir Putin’s forces launched a counter-offensive in Sudzha, seven miles inside Russia, while simultaneously crossing the border into Ukraine’s Sumy region. It was a pincer movement aimed at surrounding thousands of Ukrainian troops. On Monday, Russian troops were reported to have cleared the village of Ivashkovsky as they advanced from seven directions. Ukraine had been hoping...