FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
This was the first time Vladimir Putin commented on the latest US peace proposal. Will Russia agree? Is it close to a deal?
It didn't sound like that.
There was a lot of conciliatory language at the start of his press conference, which was designed to show a willingness to reach an agreement.
Trump's plan could provide "the basis for future agreements," he said. Russia is ready for "serious" discussions. He even expressed a willingness to discuss European security.
But "discuss" doesn't mean "agree" and it certainly doesn't mean "compromise."
And as the questions became more specific and the focus turned to the various sticking points in a peace deal, the Kremlin leader's language hardened, revealing a familiar theme.
On the most contentious territorial issue, he described recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea and Donbas as a “key point” for negotiations with the U.S. That recognition, remember, was one of the proposals that made the original 28-point peace plan so unacceptable to Ukraine.
They managed to remove it from the last draft, but it is clear that Putin wants to put it back in. On this issue, it is clear that there is still no middle ground.
And he also had a warning for Kiev and its European allies regarding their demands for a ceasefire: "Ukrainian troops must withdraw from the territories they hold and then the fighting will cease. If they do not leave, then we will achieve this by armed means."
It doesn't sound like the language of someone who wants peace.
He sounds like someone who won't stop until he gets what he wants. Someone whose core demands remain undiminished. Whether on the battlefield or at the negotiating table, Russia is still looking for a victory.
Putin also repeated an earlier complaint about the legitimacy of Volodymyr Zelensky's presidency, claiming that this means a legally binding agreement with Ukraine is impossible in the current state of affairs.
It sounded suspiciously like Moscow's latest play to buy time. It's not Russia's fault that it doesn't have a peace plan, it's the fault of the legal fine print.
So when US envoy Steve Witkoff arrives in Moscow next week for talks in the Kremlin, it seems highly unlikely that he will leave with an unconditional agreement on America's latest peace plan./ SkyNews
Mire e ka qeni rus, kur sheh qe Europa e USA jane te mbaruar e i ka korruptuar e vazhdon t'i korruptoje pse mos beje keshtu. Nje mut afgani shtie ne Washington e vret ushtaraket Amerikane e si nuk paska Ukraina, Europa e USA dy njerez e artin si ta zhduke qenin e ndyre te Kremlinit!?