Russia agreed to a U.S. ceasefire proposal in Ukraine, but any truce must address the root causes of the conflict and many important details need to be resolved, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.

Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, killing and wounding hundreds of thousands of people, displaced millions, reducing rubble in towns and triggering the most drastic confrontation between Moscow and the West for decades.

Putin’s support for the U.S. ceasefire proposal – by far the best opportunity for the U.S. ceasefire proposal to end the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II, as Ukraine also agreed to talks earlier this week.

“We agree to the proposal to stop hostilities,” Putin told reporters at a press conference in the Kremlin after talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

“The idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it. But we start with the fact that this quit should bring it to a long-term peace and eliminate the initial cause of this crisis.”

Putin thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for saying he wants to be remembered for his efforts to create war in peace.

Trump had said at the White House on Wednesday that he hoped the Kremlin would agree to what the U.S. proposed a 30-day ceasefire proposal for Ukraine to end what Trump called “bloody mud.”

“I can do things economically, and that’s very bad for Russia,” Trump said. “I don’t want to do that because I want peace. I want to see peace, and we’ll see it. But in a financial sense, yes, we can do things that are very harmful to Russia. It’s devastating for Russia.”

Trump threatened to impose tougher sanctions on Moscow, if no negotiations were conducted, but relief if the sanctions agreed to a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Russia moves forward

Russian forces have been advancing since mid-2024 and control one fifth of Ukrainian territory. Putin said Russian troops were advancing along the entire frontline and said the ceasefire would have to ensure that Ukraine did not seek to simply use it to regroup.

Meanwhile, Putin wore a camouflage uniform on Wednesday to visit the command post in the Kursk region of western Russia, and Ukraine is expected to lose its foothold after a major attack by Russian troops.

“How do we? How will we ensure that nothing will happen? How to control it [of the ceasefire] Is it organized? “Putin said. “These are serious problems.

“We need to discuss some issues. And I think we need to talk to our American colleagues, too.” Putin said he might call Trump to discuss this issue.

Putin’s top foreign policy aide said on Thursday that he told Washington that the U.S. proposed 30-day ceasefire to suspend the Ukrainian war would only give Kiev troops a much-needed battlefield respite.

Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Moscow today to meet Putin. Russian officials said U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz provided details on the idea for a ceasefire on Wednesday, and Russia is ready to discuss it.

Yuri Ushakov, a former ambassador in Washington, who had spoken on major foreign policy issues, told state television that he spoke with Waltz on Wednesday outlining Russia’s position on the ceasefire.

“I say our position is that this is nothing more than a temporary breathing of the Ukrainian army,” Usakov said.

“Our goal is a long-term peace solution, taking into account the legitimate interests of our country and our well-known concerns. In my opinion, no one needs any step [merely] Imitate peace operations in this case. ” he said.

So when asked whether Russia rejected the proposal, Usakov, who has served with Putin since 2012, said the president may speak to the media later today and outline Russia’s position in more detail.

Speech by senior Kremlin officials shows that Russia’s most important leader since 1999 believes that Russia’s progress on Ukraine and the battlefields in western Russia has given Moscow a strong aspect in peace talks.

Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade asked companies to propose what sanctions most urgently need to be lifted, two Russian industrial sources told Reuters. The ministry did not immediately comment.

The Kremlin said it believes that all sanctions are illegal and should be lifted.