Russian leader Vladimir Putin said he is open to ceasefire proposals as a whole, but questioned the effectiveness of the US-backed 30-day ceasefire proposal at a joint press conference on Thursday alongside Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
The conference was held after a closed-door meeting between the two in Moscow.
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On 30-Day ceasefire plan
Putin claimed to be open to peace talks, praised US President Donald Trump for his attention, but said talks need to “take into consideration [events] on the ground,” particularly recent Russian advances inside the Kursk region.
Putin said the 30-day ceasefire proposal is “good and we absolutely support it but there are issues that we need to discuss” before questioning the effectiveness of the proposal, naming a number of “conditions that need to be studied” such as the enforcement of the ceasefire alongside a front line that stretches for hundreds of kilometers.
Putin also reiterated a Kremlin talking point that a ceasefire would simply allow Ukraine to regroup.
“Is the ceasefire going to be used to continue forced mobilization, to continue rearming, to continue supplies of weaponry, to allow military units to regroup?” Putin asked, in a rhetorical question.
Putin was set to meet US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff behind closed doors Thursday evening.
Meanwhile, Lukashenko said Moscow has “strong cards” when it comes to peace talks and suggested that it should play them only when the time is right, hinting at a possible Russian refusal to the US-brokered 30-day ceasefire proposal.
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“They have strong cards, as [US President Donald] Trump once said, in their hands. If they hold onto these aces until the right moment and then play them to win this card game, we will ultimately see an agreement reached,” Lukashenko said.
Lukashenko also claimed that Kyiv will not accept a ceasefire deal despite Kyiv’s having already done so.
“When a ceasefire takes place, everything goes silent and there is no movement. The Ukrainians are unlikely to agree to that,” Lukashenko said.
Drone production, defense pact
Regarding drone production, Lukashenko said Minsk and Moscow have agreed to set up drone production in Belarus before adding that it would take time without specifying a timeframe.
Having drone production in Belarus would likely threaten Ukraine’s security as Belarus borders Ukraine to the north, and from it, Russia launched troops and missiles at the onset of its 2022 invasion.
Lukashenko also criticized Europe’s initiative to rearm and questioned its effectiveness.
“Let us wait and see how they will go about the business of securing €800 billion [$870 billion] for European military spending, and reconsider where this funding will actually come from,” he said, referring to the “ReArm Europe“ drive.
During the meeting between Lukashenko and Putin, the two also finalized a mutual defense pact that hinted at security guarantees for either nation if one comes under attack.
“Today, the exchange of instruments of ratification of the bilateral Treaty on Security Guarantees signed in Minsk on Dec. 6, 2024 took place, and thus the treaty entered into force,” Putin said, according to a joint statement released by the Kremlin after the meeting.
“Let me remind you that this document defines mutual allied obligations to ensure reliable defense and security of Russia and Belarus, using the entire available arsenal of forces and means,” he added.
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