Kremlin says Putin sent Trump message on Ukraine ceasefire idea, says 'cautiously optimistic'
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Kremlin says Putin sent Trump message on Ukraine ceasefire idea, says 'cautiously optimistic'
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent Donald Trump a message about his proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine via Trump's special envoy, the Kremlin said on Friday, adding that it saw grounds for "cautious optimism" that a deal could be reached.
The U.S. president has said he wants Moscow and Kyiv to agree on a swift ceasefire to pause fighting in a conflict which he has warned has the potential to spiral into World War Three and has already cost many lives on both sides.
On Friday, Trump again pressed Russia to sign and complete "a Cease Fire and Final Agreement", saying in a post on his private social media platform that he would extract the U.S. from what he called a "real 'mess' with Russia".
Putin said on Thursday that he supported Trump's ceasefire proposal in principle, but that fighting could not be paused until several crucial conditions were worked out, raising the prospect of longer negotiations to clinch a deal.
Despite its heavily qualified nature, Trump called Putin's statement "very promising".
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that Putin - who has expressed concern that Ukrainian forces would use any ceasefire to regroup - had held late-night talks in Moscow with Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy, to discuss the U.S. proposal. Kyiv has already accepted the proposal.
Peskov said Putin had used the meeting to convey "signals" to Trump.
"Additional information was given to the Russian side, and also, actually, Putin conveyed information and additional signals to President Trump through Witkoff," he said.
Asked about comments made late on Thursday by Mike Waltz, Trump's national security adviser, who said Washington had "some cautious optimism" that a ceasefire deal could be agreed soon, Peskov said he agreed with the assessment.
'A LOT TO BE DONE'
"There are certainly reasons to be cautiously optimistic. You heard a very important statement yesterday from President Putin... He said that he supports President Trump's position in terms of a settlement, but he voiced some questions that need to be answered together," said Peskov.
"So, yes indeed, there is still a lot to be done, but nevertheless, the president expressed solidarity with Mr. Trump's position."
Peskov said Russia and the U.S. would work out the timing of a phone call between their presidents once Witkoff had briefed Trump, saying both sides agreed such a call was necessary.
Putin has said he wants Ukraine to drop its ambitions to join NATO, Russia to control the entirety of the four Ukrainian regions it has claimed as its own, and the size of the Ukrainian army to be limited.
He has also made clear he wants Western sanctions eased and a presidential election to be held in Ukraine, which Kyiv says is premature while martial law remains in force.
Peskov played down U.S. media reports suggesting that Russian officials had told their U.S. counterparts they did not want Trump's Russia-Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg to be involved in top-level discussions aimed at ending the war.
"It would probably be absurd to think that the Russian side could meddle in an internal American matter. We do not have the slightest intention to do that," Peskov said.
"It is their decision whom to appoint, whom not to appoint, and so on. So no, I can't confirm that here at all," he said.
