Putin delays response on cease-fire proposal and calls for further negotiations

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke Thursday with his Russian counterpart at a press conference in Moscow. The Russian leader was expected to give a response to the truce offer agreed between the United States and Ukraine, but chose to dodge the issue.

Putin did not say he was against the 30-day truce, but claimed that there are themes to be ironed out for Russia to accept it. Prior to Putin's speech, a Kremlin adviser had already lowered expectations that the cease-fire would be accepted.

During his intervention, Putin assured that there are still "many questions about the ceasefire" and adds that he needs to talk to Trump first.

"We are in favor, but there are nuances," he told a news conference in the Kremlin. "How to ensure that such a situation will not be reproduced? How control will be organized? (...) These are important issues," he added. "We should talk with our American partners, perhaps with President [Donald] Trump," Putin added.

With the ball in his court he claimed that "we agree with the cease-fire proposals, but our position is based on the assumption that the cease-fire would leadto a long-term peace, something that would eliminate the initial reasons for the crisis."

In the same vein as his adviser hours earlier, the Russian president said that a temporary truce, not leading to a final peace, at this point favors Ukraine more than Russia. The president was yesterday on the Kursk front, where Ukrainian troops have occupied about 100 km.