Trump praises 'promising' Putin remarks over peace deal with Ukraine as he calls for Russia to 'do right thing'

By Emma Soteriou

Donald Trump has praised Vladimir Putin for his "promising" remarks over the peace deal with Ukraine, urging Russia to "do the right thing".

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Putin said on Thursday that he agreed with the Ukraine ceasefire proposals and that the deal should lead to a long-term peace.

Trump welcomed the promising statement but insisted it was not complete.

He said it would be a "very disappointing moment for the world" if Russia rejected the proposal.

"Hopefully Russia will do the right thing," he said, adding that a peace deal "shouldn't be very complicated". The president urged both parties to get the process over with quickly.

It comes as a Ukrainian source close to negotiations told local media: "There can be no restrictions on the size of the army, and there can be no prohibitions regarding Ukraine's participation [in international organisations], including the EU and NATO."

Speaking in a press conference on Thursday, Putin the ceasefire proposal should lead to long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of the "crisis".

However, there are "serious questions" that need to be asked about how it would be implemented.

“We agree with the proposals for the ceasefire, but our position is based on the assumption the ceasefire will lead to a long-term peace," he told reporters.

Read more: Kremlin aide dismisses short-term ceasefire as ‘temporary respite’ for Ukraine

Read more: Keir Starmer says he's 'not surprised' that Russia dismissed Ukraine ceasefire deal

He added that the idea of ​​a ceasefire “is correct in itself, and we certainly support it, but there are issues that we need to discuss."

Putin said: “I think we need to talk to our American colleagues, maybe call President Trump and discuss it."

The Russian president also referenced his visit to the Kursk region yesterday, saying that the situation there is "completely under our control" after the Ukrainian invasion.

He said that it would be good for Ukraine to have a 30-day ceasefire, implying that it would not be so positive for Russia.

The Russian president said that his forces were on the offensive on all areas.

Putin said it would be good to have peace but warned there are "nuances" to the deal.

"If we ceased hostilities...what would that mean?" he asked.

"How will these 30 days be used? To continue forced mobilisation in Ukraine, to supply weapons there, to continue training for those mobilised?

"And how will the issues of control and verification be resolved? How will we be guaranteed that nothing like this will happen? Who will give orders to cease hostilities and what will be the price of these orders?"

US envoy Steven Witkoff is in Russia to discuss the US-brokered peace deal, and is expected to meet Putin later to discuss the terms.

Speaking earlier, Yuri Ushakov, Mr Putin's foreign policy adviser, suggested a ceasefire would grant a "temporary break for the Ukrainian military", helping Kyiv's forces at a time when Russia claimed to be on the front foot and pushing them out of the occupied territory in Kursk.

Former CIA director says ‘tyrant’ Putin won't surrender easily

He said the ceasefire would "give us nothing" but would give the Ukrainians "a chance to regroup, consolidate their forces and keep doing the same in the future".

The Prime Minister told the News Agents podcast it "doesn't entirely surprise me" that Russia had taken that position.

Asked about Mr Ushakov's remarks, the Prime Minister's official spokesman told reporters in Westminster it was "up to Russia to respond and agree to a ceasefire if it is serious about ending the fighting and bringing peace about".

He added: "I don't want to get ahead of the talks that the United States are going to have on these issues, so we will await the result of that.

"But we have always been very clear that in order to have a secure and lasting peace, security guarantees will be needed."