Putin will agree to a truce, but will set his own conditions for a cease fire — Bloomberg

Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to try to delay the cessation of hostilities by Ukraine, in order to provide the most favorable conditions for Moscow. This is reported by Bloomberg, citing several knowledgeable sources.

"While the Russian leader is likely to agree to possible terms of a truce with Ukraine, he wants to make sure in advance that his own conditions will be taken into account ... Russian officials did not discuss with their American counterparts the specific deal that the Ukrainian delegation agreed to on Tuesday in the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, and the Kremlin considers this framework unacceptable, the source said," the agency reports.

The Kremlin may also demand the cessation of arms supplies to Ukraine as a condition of a cease-fire, said one of the people close to the Kremlin.

"Putin will not say either a decisive "yes" or a categorical "no." Even in a fantastic situation, when Putin makes some gestures towards a truce, it will still be temporary and with very strict conditions," said a senior researcher at the Carnegie Eurasian Center in a telephone interview. Russia Tatyana Stanovaya.

In exchange for Ukraine's acceptance of the US proposal for a truce, the Donald Trump administration agreed to lift the moratorium on military assistance and the transfer of intelligence for Kiev. Trump said that US officials will talk with their Russian counterparts on Wednesday and that perhaps he will be able to talk with Putin as early as this week. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Moscow was waiting for details of the agreement, but did not rule out a telephone conversation between the two leaders. Meanwhile, Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is due to travel to Moscow to meet with Putin this week, Bloomberg News reported earlier.