Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – President Vladimir Putin is receptive to peace in Ukraine, and substantial efforts are underway with the United States. However, due to the complexity of the conflict, the quick progress desired by Washington is challenging to accomplish, according to the Kremlin.
U.S. President Donald Trump, aiming to be seen as a peacemaker, has frequently expressed his desire to put an end to the “bloodbath” of the over three-year conflict in Ukraine, which his administration now portrays as a proxy war between the United States and Russia.
Is Putin truly committed to peace in Ukraine
“The president remains open to political and diplomatic methods of resolving this conflict,”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Peskov stated that Russia’s goals should be fulfilled, noting that Moscow prefers to accomplish them peacefully.
He mentioned that Putin was open to direct discussions with Ukraine, but there has been no response so far from Kyiv.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t heard any statements in this context from Kyiv. So we don’t know whether Kyiv is ready or not,”
Peskov told reporters in English.
“We understand that Washington is willing to achieve a quick success in this process,”
Peskov said in English. But TASS quoted Peskov as saying that the root causes of the Ukraine were too complex to be resolved in one day.
How does Trump view his role in the war?
On the other hand, on Tuesday, Trump expressed his belief that Putin aims to conclude the war in Ukraine. He also mentioned that, without his influence, Russia might have sought to annex all of Ukraine.
“If it weren’t for me, I think he’d want to take over the whole country,”
Trump said. Trump declined to respond to a question regarding if the U.S. would stop military aid to Ukraine should Washington abandon negotiations.
Is Russia’s ceasefire tied to manipulation?
Moreover, Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a unilateral three-day ceasefire in Ukraine, which will be from midnight May 8 to midnight May 11, 2025. According to the Kremlin, this lull in hostilities is “for humanitarian reasons,” coinciding with Russia’s Victory Day celebrations commemorating the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II.
Ukrainian authorities have reacted with doubt and called the action a “manipulation.” They maintain that if Russia truly was interested in peace, it would embrace Ukraine’s proposal, backed by the United States, for a longer, unconditional, and immediate ceasefire for at least 30 days.
