Putin ready for Ukraine ceasefire along current battle lines: report
Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly ready to stop its war against Ukraine if Ukraine recognizes current battle lines, but Russia is willing to go on if Ukraine and its western allies don’t agree, according to a Reuters exclusive.
Sources told Reuters that Putin is willing to take more land from Ukraine to pressure officials to the table for peace talks, but the Russian leader doesn’t want another national mobilization of military reservists to continue the fight, Reuters reports.
Putin doesn’t have plans for going after NATO territory, but he’s reportedly concerned about escalating tensions with the West, including potential nuclear escalation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen during a bilateral meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace on May 23, 2024, in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
A State Department spokesman told Reuters there’s no signs Russia is preparing for nuclear escalation, but that the U.S. will "continue to monitor the strategic environment and remain ready."
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Ukraine’s problems have been mounting in recent months as it tries to hold out against its much bigger foe, and the war, which has spanned more than two years, appears to be at a critical juncture.
The new Russian offensive is stretching thin Ukraine’s depleted ranks, exhausted by more than two years of war. Destroying the train network puts further pressure on the already overstretched Ukrainian army. Ukraine has said it’s struggling to recruit troops, recently lowering the age for men who can be drafted to 25 from 27.
Crucial Western aid for Kyiv, especially air defense systems to stop Russia’s targeted destruction of the power grid, isn’t arriving quickly enough. Also, most Western donors won’t let Ukraine use the sophisticated long-range weapons they are providing to strike targets on Russian soil. That allows Moscow to assemble virtually unimpeded its troops for cross-border assaults, as well as deploy missile launchers to bombard Ukraine.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.