Putin aims to sell ceasefire — Ukraine’s ex-Foreign Minister

He shared his opinions will Espreso TV.

"Putin will sell the temporary ceasefire – he won’t agree to it. He is essentially playing for time and conditions. He believes time is on his side because it creates pressure on Trump, who wants a quick resolution, ideally around Easter or shortly after. Of course, time is also a factor for Putin, especially with May 9, that symbolic date. But he sees time as working more in his favor and will manipulate the terms as well. For him, this is the most important issue, and right now, it's the top priority by a wide margin. He’s essentially saying, 'Ceasefire? Yes, but it comes with conditions, like in that joke. If you want a ceasefire, start applying pressure, and begin by talking to Ukraine," he said.

Pavlo Klimkin noted that Russian leader Putin and his team are quite skillful in conducting negotiations, playing with both time and conditions.

At the same time, he emphasized that U.S. President Donald Trump did not fall into a trap, as he has different goals.

"This doesn’t mean, as many think, that Trump has fallen into a trap or ambush. In reality, his goals are quite different. We need to understand that Trump isn’t looking to play on Ukraine’s side. He wants to act as a sort of deputy referee. For Trump, this isn’t just about a ceasefire or playing the peacekeeper role. It’s also about him, using these negotiations not only to legitimize, but to normalize relations with today’s Russia. And he is concerned with this far more than even Ukrainian issues. But in reality, I don’t believe Putin will agree. Putin will be selling the ceasefire, negotiating it every day — whether it’s a market day or a non-market day, as we say," the diplomat explained.

• On Sunday, March 23, representatives of the U.S. and Russia will hold negotiations in Saudi Arabia regarding the details of halting strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
• Ukrainian President's Office advisor Mykhailo Podolyak stated that Ukraine will not participate in the U.S.-Russia negotiations in Saudi Arabia scheduled for March 23.

Trump-Putin call

On March 18, U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin that lasted about two hours. According to both parties, they agreed on a limited stop in attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Moscow also demanded a suspension of mobilization in Ukraine and rearmament of the  Ukrainian Armed Forces during a potential ceasefire.

Following Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Kremlin leader had effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire.