Donald Trump said on Thursday he was cautiously optimistic about Putin’s remarks and reiterated that he stood ready to speak with him, ITV News International Editor Emma Murphy reports.
The Russian president said earlier on Thursday that he agrees in principle with a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine but insisted it must lead to "lasting peace" and "remove the root causes of the crisis".
Ukrainian president Zelenskyy responded to Putin’s remarks in a post on Telegram, claiming that the Russian president is "afraid to tell President Trump directly that he wants to continue this war".
He said: "Now we have all heard from Russia very predictable, very manipulative words from Putin in response to the idea of silence on the front – he is actually preparing a refusal as of now."
"We need to impose sanctions that will help," he added. "We will continue to work with our American partners, with our European partners, with everyone in the world who wants peace, to force Russia to end the war."
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