Putin agrees to Ukraine ceasefire expressing gratitude to world leaders

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made his first public remarks on Ukraine's willingness to negotiate a ceasefire, expressing gratitude to world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, for their efforts in addressing the conflict.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday, (13 Mar ’25) Putin said that Russia agrees with the proposals to cease hostilities but "proceeds from the assumption that this cessation should lead to long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of the crisis."When asked about Ukraine's readiness for a ceasefire, Putin said, "As for Ukraine's readiness for a ceasefire, I will tell you how I view it, of course. But I would like to start by thanking the President of the United States, Mr Trump, for paying so much attention to the Ukraine settlement. We all have enough of our own domestic affairs to attend to. But many leaders of states, among them the President of the People's Republic of China, the Prime Minister of India, the Presidents of Brazil and the Republic of South Africa are addressing this issue and give it a lot of their time. We are grateful to all of them for that because this activity is aimed at achieving a noble mission - the mission of ending hostilities and loss of life."

He further said, "We agree with the proposals to cease hostilities but proceed from the assumption that this cessation should lead to long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of this crisis...On March 11, Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the US proposal to enact an "immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire," which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties and is subject to Russia's acceptance and concurrent implementation. Trump welcomed Ukraine's agreement to the ceasefire after the peace talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and further affirmed hope that Russia will also agree to it. Stating that soldiers of both Russia and Ukraine are being killed in this "horrible war", Trump said reaching a ceasefire is "very important"...The PM emphasised that he has himself met leaders of both Russia and Ukraine and also pointed to his 'this is not an era of war' remark that he made in the presence of Russian President Putin. "I have always been in close contact with Russia and Ukraine. I have met the leaders of both countries. Many people are in a misconception that India is neutral, but I want to reiterate that India is not neutral; we are on a side, and that is peace," Modi said in a joint presser at the White House...During the bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Modi emphasised India's position of peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

He said that India was ready to play an active role in the path to peace and progress. Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in war since February 2022.