The National Times - Putin raises 'serious questions' on Ukraine truce plan

Putin made his first comments on the plan, which Ukraine agreed to Tuesday at talks with the United States, saying he was "for" the proposed ceasefire, but "there are nuances" and he had "serious questions" about how it would work.

Putin told reporters: "I think we need to talk to our American colleagues... Maybe have a phone call with President Trump and discuss this with him."

The United States has called for Russia to agree a ceasefire without any conditions, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Tuesday: "That's what we want to know -- if they're prepared to do it unconditionally."

Trump said Putin's statement was "promising" but "not complete".

"A lot of the details of a final agreement have actually been discussed. Now we're going to see if Russia is there and, if not, it will be a very disappointing moment for the world," Trump said.

"I'd love to meet with him or talk to him. But we have to get it over with fast."

Putin earlier said at his press conference that Russia would take its "next steps" based on the situation on the ground as its forces make rapid progress on the front line.

After visiting a military headquarters in the Kursk region Wednesday, the Russian president hailed troops' progress against Ukraine.

He said Russian troops were "advancing in practically all areas" of the front line and "based on how the situation on the ground develops, we will agree on the next steps in ending the conflict and reaching agreements acceptable to all".

As Trump pushes for a speedy end to the more than three-year conflict, his envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow Thursday to discuss the plan.

A top Kremlin aide, Yuri Ushakov, said Witkoff would meet Putin on Thursday evening in a "closed format", in comments to Izvestia newspaper.

Russia has been grinding forward on the battlefield for over a year, and claimed on Thursday to have driven Ukrainian forces from the town of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region.

Trump has expressed optimism that his team can secure a ceasefire, despite Moscow's battlefield gains.

"If we can get Russia to stop, then we have a full ceasefire. And I think it'll never go back to war," Trump told reporters on Wednesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier Thursday had criticised the lack of an official response from Moscow, saying on social media that this shows "Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible."

- 'Long-term peace' -

Ahead of talks, Putin said Thursday: "We agree with proposals to cease hostilities, but on the basis that cessation would lead to long-term peace and address the root causes of the crisis."

Russia has already ruled out accepting foreign peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a ceasefire or long-term security guarantee for Kyiv.

That could go against a request Ukraine has made of European allies to deploy military "contingents" on its territory once the conflict ends to protect against future attacks from Russia.

"It is absolutely unacceptable to us that army units of other states be stationed in Ukraine under any flag," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a briefing.

"Be it a foreign contingent or a military base... all this would mean the involvement of these countries in a direct armed conflict with our country."

- Battle for Kursk -

Russia, meanwhile, claimed rapid advances in the Kursk region -- where Kyiv launched a cross-border assault last August and has held territory since.

The Russian defence ministry said it had "liberated" Sudzha along with two other settlements in the border region.

Sudzha, home to around 5,000 people before the fighting, was the largest settlement Kyiv seized after it launched its shock assault into Russia.

The Kursk region was one of Kyiv's few bargaining chips in swapping land with Russia, which has occupied around a fifth of Ukraine since it took Crimea in 2014 and launched its full-scale assault in February 2022.

Ukraine now risks losing its grip on the border region entirely, ceding dozens of square kilometres (miles) in the past seven days, according to military bloggers.

Ukraine's commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky hinted late Wednesday that some of its troops were pulling back in the region.

In Ukraine, the Sumy region's military administration said on Facebook on Thursday it had ordered the mandatory evacuation of eight villages near the border with Kursk, due to "the exacerbation of the operational situation in the region" and "constant shelling by Russia".

Putin visited Kursk on Wednesday for the first time since Ukraine launched its incursion.

Dressed in battle fatigues, he expressed hope his army would "fully liberate" areas under Kyiv's control.

Moscow's rapid advances in the region came after the US paused intelligence-sharing and security support for Ukraine, although analysts and officials cautioned against making a direct link.

Washington said it had resumed its support for Kyiv ahead of the talks with Moscow.

Both Moscow and Kyiv kept up hostilities into Thursday.

Russia downed 77 Ukrainian drones overnight, its defence ministry said, while Ukraine's air force said it downed dozens of drones fired at multiple regions.

T.F.Russell--TNT