Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he backed the idea of a truce with Ukraine, but said he had "serious questions" about how it would be implemented that he wanted to discuss with US President Donald Trump.
He was responding to a joint US-Ukrainian plan for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that US special envoy Steve Witkoff is due to present to Russian officials later on Thursday.
"We agree with proposals to cease hostilities, but on the basis that that cessation would lead to long-term peace and addresses the root causes of the crisis," Putin told a press conference in Moscow. "But there are nuances," he said.
He said Russian soldiers were currently in the midst of an offensive aimed at driving Kiev out of the Kursk region.
"If we stop hostilities for 30 days, what does that mean? That everyone who is there will go out without a fight?... How will supervision (of the ceasefire) be organised? These are all serious questions.
"I think we need to talk to our American colleagues... Maybe have a phone call with President Trump and discuss this with him," he told reporters.
Trump has expressed optimism that his team can secure a ceasefire, even as Kiev and Moscow trade almost daily aerial attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said the fact Russia was yet to respond to the idea showed it did not want peace.
TRT Global - Kremlin spokesperson Peskov says Moscow needs to see the outcome of the Ukraine-US talks in Saudi Arabia, while it also considers the possibility of a phone call between the Russian and US presidents.
'Temporary breather'
Setting out its red lines ahead of the talks, Russia ruled out foreign peacekeepers in Ukraine and mooted potential sanctions relief.
Moscow wants any settlement to be long-term and secure its interests, rather than a temporary deal that would give Ukraine a "breather," Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov said.
"That is what we are striving for. A peaceful settlement that takes into account the legitimate interests of our country," Ushakov told a state TV reporter.
Ushakov called the 30-day ceasefire proposal a "hasty" plan that "is not in favour of a long-term settlement".
Ukraine has asked its European allies to deploy military "contingents" on its territory once the conflict ends to protect against future attacks from Russia.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova rejected it and said that foreign contingents would mean a direct fight with Moscow.
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