Russian President Vladmir Putin has indicated that he is ready to negotiate a ceasefire deal in the war with Ukraine. The ceasefire would leave Russian territorial gains in their current position. If the ceasefire is not accepted, Russia would intend to continue fighting and taking more land.
According to a report from Reuters, four Russian sources said that discussions between Putin with other Russian officials have him interested in a ceasefire deal at the current lines of control in the region. However, he is ready to fight on if Ukraine and the West do not respond to the deal.
"Putin can fight for as long as it takes, but Putin is also ready for a ceasefire – to freeze the war," one senior source told Reuters. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in a request for comment, said that the Kremlin is open to dialogue over the conflict and did not want an "eternal war." Ukraine continues to demand more aid and arms from the US, which has spent more than $113 billion helping the country defend itself and stay afloat during the war, which began with Russia's invasion of the neighboring nation in February 2022.
Ukrainian defense officials did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Three sources familiar with Putin’s thoughts and discussions with other officials said that he has grown frustrated and would like to negotiate with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Two sources that Reuters spoke to said that Putin saw the gains as enough to sell a victory of the war to the population of Russia. The war has gone on now for over two years and has cost many lives of people on both sides. Russians and Ukrainians have grown more dissatisfied with the war as it has dragged on.
All the sources told the outlet that for Putin, locking up the territorial gains is non-negotiable if the deal were to occur.
