FT -
Russia says it does not want a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine
Putins foreign policy adviser says Moscow wants long-term settlement taking its interests into account
Max Seddon in Berlin
Published 49 minutes ago Updated 07:48 am
Russia does not want a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine and is pushing for a long-term peace settlement that will take into account its interests and concerns, a senior aide to Vladimir Putin has said.
Yuri Ushakov, the Russian presidents foreign policy adviser, told state television on Thursday that the 30-day ceasefire proposed after talks between the US and Ukraine this week was nothing other than a temporary breather for Ukrainian troops.
Russias rejection of the US proposal aligned with Putins hardline stance ahead of high-level talks later on Thursday in Moscow, where a plane linked to Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trumps special envoy to the Middle East, has landed.
Those demands would in effect end Ukraines existence as a functioning state and place it squarely in Russias orbit while severely limiting Natos presence east of Germany.
Ushakov said Witkoff, who spoke to Putin last month as the US began extraordinary attempts at a rapprochement with Russia, would not be the White Houses main envoy to Moscow.
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