Russia Ukraine peace deal on the verge of happening; issues still remain

President Donald Trump is close to reaching his long sought peace deal. But this time, it is Russia standing in the way of the deal, not Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be leaning in the direction of not signing the peace deal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he supported the general idea of a U.S.-backed ceasefire with Ukraine, but he listed a number of conditions that would need to be met.

“We agree with the proposals to halt the fighting, but we proceed from the assumption that the ceasefire should lead to lasting peace and remove the root causes of the crisis,” he said in a news conference.

Putin made the comments as President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, visited Moscow to discuss a ceasefire plan — more than three years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

It was two days after the U.S. and Ukrainian officials held talks in Saudi Arabia, in which Ukraine agreed “to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire.” Putin questioned how such a ceasefire would be enforced. “Who will give orders to cease hostilities, and what will these orders be worth?” he asked.

In his evening video address, Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelenskyy called Putin’s response “predictable” and “manipulative.” “Putin, of course, is afraid to tell President Trump directly that he wants to continue this war, wants to kill Ukrainians. And that is why, in Moscow, they are setting the idea of [a ceasefire] with such preconditions that nothing will work out at all or that it will not work out for as long as possible.”

Earlier Thursday, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, reiterated demands that Ukraine must recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea and four southeastern regions, withdraw troops from lands claimed by Russia and pledge never to join NATO. 

The U.S. restored military aid to Ukraine after ceasefire talks Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. This came after the infamous argument between Zelensky and Trump in the Oval Office and the US’ subsequent suspension of aid to Ukraine. President Trump, pushing for a ceasefire, warned Russia of financial consequences if Putin resists.

The ceasefire deal is tenuous, and could easily fall though. But things are moving in the direction of a cessation of hostilities between Ukraine and Russia. Even if that were to happen, the conflict between the two nations would be far from over. But it would provide a respite to the two war torn countries.