Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelensky accused Vladimir Putin of trying to “scatter” diplomatic efforts to ensure an immediate ceasefire.
In a social media post, he urged the US to put more pressure on the Russian president, saying that only “American strength” can end the war.
The Ukrainian leader said Putin “does everything he can to block diplomacy by setting very difficult and unacceptable conditions from the start, even before the ceasefire.”
At a press conference Thursday, Putin said he accepted the idea of a ceasefire but admitted it in many questions about the details.
He raised the Kursk border area. There, Russian troops are seizing territory occupied by Ukraine six months ago. He condemned the Ukrainian army for “heinous crimes against civilians” (what Kiev denies), and asked if they should walk freely or surrender.
He asked whether Ukraine would use the ceasefire to mobilize, retrain and resupply troops.
Putin raised many questions about how the ceasefire can be monitored and policed along the Eastern frontline. “Who violated a potential ceasefire contract over a distance of 2,000 km, where exactly where did he violate it?” he asked. “Who is responsible for breaching the ceasefire?”
During a meeting with journalists on Friday, Zelensky addressed these issues directly, particularly questions about verification. He said Ukraine is more than a testable air and sea ceasefire. However, he said that monitoring the frontline requires surveillance and intelligence capabilities of American and European aircraft and satellites.
Ukraine believes it can address Putin’s detailed conditions. What is far more difficult to deal with is the objection to Putin’s principles. He said, “We should move from the assumption that this halt will lead to long-term peace and eliminate the underlying cause of this crisis.” This implies his challenge to the expansion of the NATO military alliance and the very existence of Ukraine as a sovereign independent state.
It is unlikely that it will be addressed in an immediate interim ceasefire. The G7 Foreign Ministers’ Conference in Canada did not emphasize the integrity of Ukraine’s territory and its existence rights and its freedom, sovereignty and independence.
This is why Zelensky said, “Russia is the only party that wants to continue the war and destroy diplomacy.”
So, what will happen now? Well, the ball is on the American court. President Trump was able to choose to intensify pressure on Russia as Ukraine demands. He was able to impose more sanctions on Russia and its countries that buy cheap oil and gas. He was also able to provide more military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine. Alternatively, Trump could offer Russia more concessions and get deals over the line. Many of the US-Russia contacts are kept secret compared to the highly public diplomatic pressures imposed on Ukraine.
That’s why Zelensky is calling for delaying Russian tactics and urges the West to put more pressure on Putin. He may also enjoy watching Russia in the spotlight, as he has been the butt of American diplomatic efforts for over a month since Trump and Putin made his first call.
The bottom line is that since Trump took office, including the war in Ukraine, he has driven diplomatic bulldozers through many international issues.
But now he’s facing the Kremlin walls and they may be difficult to get through.
Trump wants a fast end to the fight. Putin wants a “hard” discussion of details and principles. The two contradictory obligations held by the two stubborn leaders once rested on their own paths. Who will flash first? The prospect of a ceasefire is by no means certain, due to all American expressions of “cautious optimism.”
