Putin snubs U.S. ceasefire plan with cunning rebuff — diplomat

He shared his opinions on Espreso TV.

"In my opinion, Putin directly dismissed the Americans regarding their long-awaited proposal for an unconditional ceasefire. I interpret it only this way. I hope that when Trump speaks with Putin, he will gain more information and understand that this was actually a rejection. This is the typical KGB-style, Kremlin approach that we've already experienced – a direct refusal. Let’s not have any illusions in this situation. The only problem is that the American side will try to latch onto even such an option where Putin didn't dare to respond firmly and directly to Donald Trump," commented the diplomat.

According to him, all of Putin's maneuvers recently shown on television, such as wearing a military uniform and his arrival in Kursk, signal the following response: "I completely reject all of this, but I'm still willing to talk while continuing military actions."

"Another very important thing – in the joint statement made in Jeddah, it is written that Ukraine agrees to the U.S. proposal for an immediate 30-day ceasefire. This is not about a truce, as that’s a different process, but a ceasefire – an even more complicated process. Right now, it’s about a ceasefire that may be extended; this is only the first step towards peace. This was not a Ukrainian proposal, but Ukraine, which wants peace the most, agreed to this U.S. approach and made all the necessary compromises. We supported the American efforts to quickly do what Donald Trump wanted. And what do the Americans get now? I emphasize that it is not us, but the U.S. that received Putin's response," summed up Valeriy Chaly.

• On March 11, the Ukrainian and American delegations met in Jeddah, following which Kyiv agreed to a 30-day ceasefire with Russia, and the United States agreed to immediately resume intelligence sharing and security assistance.
• Vladimir Putin's aide, Yuri Ushakov, stated that the 30-day ceasefire agreement is merely “a temporary respite for Ukrainian forces.”
• Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin stated that Russia agrees with the proposal to cease hostilities in Ukraine but emphasized that “this must lead to a long-term peace.”
• During a meeting with NATO’s Mark Rutte, Trump called Putin’s 30-day ceasefire proposal promising but said it lacked key details.