US President Donald Trump praised the talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the US proposed ceasefire contract in Ukraine, saying it was “good and productive.”
This was after Putin and US envoy Steve Witkov met in Moscow on Thursday evening, when they exchanged information and shared US “cautious optimism” about the peace process, the Kremlin confirmed.
Trump’s Truth Social Post on Friday said the consultation “provided a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war could ultimately end.”
However, Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelensky argued that Putin’s response so far indicates that Russia wants to continue the war and does not want a ceasefire.
On Thursday, Putin said the idea of a ceasefire was “right, we support it…but there is nuance,” and he set many harsh conditions for peace.
He continued his criticism in a series of X posts on Friday, writing:
“So he is now doing everything he can for diplomacy, even before the ceasefire, by setting very difficult and unacceptable conditions from the start.”
He said Putin would “drug everyone into endless arguments… wasting days, weeks, months with meaningless lectures while his guns continue to kill people.”
“All the state Putin has made progress is merely an attempt to block diplomacy. This is how Russia works. And we warned about this.”
Earlier this week, Ukraine accepted the proposed ceasefire contract in the US, but Russia has not yet agreed.
“I am urged to take strong measures that can help to everyone who can influence Russia, especially the US,” Zelensky continued in a social media post Friday.
“Putin is lying about the real situation on the battlefield… a victim,” he said, and “the true state of his economy.”
However, the White House believes that both parties have “never been this close to peace.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt spoke with reporters and argued that talks between Putin and Witkov in Moscow on Thursday were “productive.”
She added that Trump is “pressurizing Putin and the Russians to do the right thing.”
Trump’s social media post said Putin “strongly demanded” the lives of Ukrainian forces, whom he said were surrounded by Russian troops, adding that it would be a “terrifying massacre” that has not been seen since World War II.
His comments were about to leave as Russia stepped up its efforts to reclaim areas that were invaded by Ukraine last year after Putin came after Kursk’s Ukrainian forces were “isolated” on Thursday.
However, on Friday, Ukrainian military general staff denied the siege of the army, calling it “false and forgery.”
In a statement, the operation continues as Ukrainian forces retreated and “successfully reorganized” into a better defensive position.
“There is no threat to siege of our unit,” it said.
In response to Trump’s demands, Putin said that if they give up their weapons and surrender, they would be “treated with dignity in line with international law norms and the laws of the Russian Federation.
Meanwhile, G7 members were meeting in Quebec, where Canadian member foreign minister Melanie Jolie said they agreed to the US proposal for a ceasefire supported by Ukrainians.
“And we are currently studying and watching the Russian reaction, so in the end, Ball is in the Russian courts in regards to Ukraine.”
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who also attended the meeting, said the members were united by calling for a “no condition” ceasefire.
Following the meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would not make foreign policy decisions based on what its leaders said on social media and on press conferences, stressing that “the only way to end this war is through the negotiation process.”
