President Vladimir Putin said Thursday from Astana that Russia is in no condition to accept a ceasefire in Ukraine until Kiev takes steps that are acceptable to Moscow.
Putin said last month that Russia would end the war in Ukraine only if Kiev agreed to give up its ambitions to join NATO and hand over the entirety of four provinces claimed by Moscow.
We simply cannot go ahead and declare a ceasefire now in the hope that the other side will take some positive steps. This is primary. “Secondly, we cannot allow the enemy to take advantage of this ceasefire to improve its position, to rearm itself,” Putin said.
The head of the Kremlin also reacted to the presidential debate in the USA, as well as Trump’s proposal to end the war in Ukraine.
Asked about Trump’s suggestion that the war in Ukraine could end quickly, Putin said Russia has taken it seriously.
“You know that Trump, as a presidential candidate, has said that he is ready and wants to stop the war in Ukraine. We take this very seriously. I am not familiar, of course, with his proposals on how he plans to do this, and this, of course, is the main question, but I have no doubt that he is saying this sincerely, and we support him,” Putin said./a2cnn
