Vladimir Putin considers a ceasefire in Ukraine impossible without “acceptable” prior agreements

russian president Vladimir Putin Earlier on Thursday, he ruled out the possibility of a ceasefire in Ukrainian territory Agreements with “irreversible consequences” Ukraine And it is acceptable to Russia.”

“We must get the opposing side to agree to take steps that are irreversible and acceptable to Russia. A ceasefire is impossible without these agreements,” the Kremlin chief said at a press conference with Russian media at the end of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit held in Astana.

Putin reminded that in March 2022 an agreement was reached with Ukraine in Istanbul on the withdrawal of Russian troops from Kiev, however the Ukrainian authorities “did not take any response steps.”

He said Kiev’s Western allies argued that the Ukrainian government “could not control all of its armed formations because there were allegedly some that were not subordinate to the central authorities.”

“Thus “We cannot simply declare a ceasefire in the hope that the opposing side will take some positive steps.”He insisted.

The President stressed that “the enemy cannot be allowed to take advantage of this ceasefire to consolidate his positions, disarm, complete his forces through forced mobilization, and prepare to continue the armed struggle.”

In addition, Putin The possibility of reaching an agreement with Ukraine only through mediators was ruled out. “We have always advocated negotiations, we have never rejected them. The point is that I consider the possibility of bringing a definitive end to the conflict with the help of mediators alone to be unlikely,” he said. And he argued that “it is doubtful that a mediator would have the power to sign the final documents.”

“The issue is not only in the competence of these mediators, but also in their mandate. Who can give the mediators such powers that they can end this conflict? I consider it unlikely,” he said.

Nevertheless, he made clear that Russia welcomes any mediation efforts and recalled the role of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the talks in Istanbul.

On the other hand, Putin acknowledged this Thursday that former US President Donald Trump, who will try to return to the White House in the November 5 elections, is sincere when it comes to wanting to end the war in Ukraine.

“I don’t know (his) proposals. (…) But I have no doubt that he speaks honestly and we support it.he said during the press conference in Astana. And he added: “We take seriously what Mr. Trump says as a presidential candidate about his desire and willingness to stop the war in Ukraine.”

When Putin was asked if he followed the election debates in the US, he replied that he had watched only “a few fragments”. At the same time, he assured that “the US is a great power” and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, so Moscow is “not indifferent” to what happens in that country. “He has a huge influence on the situation in Ukraine“, he insisted.

A week ago, the Kremlin was confident that Trump would understand the Russian proposal for peace in Ukraine “sooner or later” because he “has no choice.”

During an election debate with incumbent President Joe Biden, Trump rejected the initiative presented by Putin two weeks ago to end the war in Ukraine, which included Moscow’s annexation of four occupied regions, the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the east and south of the country, and Kiev’s abandonment of plans to join NATO.

Putin has assured on a few occasions that the Kremlin prefers Biden’s victory in the November elections, as he is a much more predictable leader than Trump. Which he took as a compliment. At the same time, he defended Trump from judicial harassment, a process he considered “political”, and denounced mail-in voting fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

(With information from EFE)