In an address full of nuance, Russian President Vladimir Putin  on Thursday thanked President Donald Trump for his efforts to end the hostilities in Ukraine, but said he wanted lasting peace over a 30-day ceasefire. 

“The idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it,” Putin said in a carefully worded message during a news conference in Moscow. “But there are issues that we need to discuss, and I think that we need to discuss it with our American colleagues and partners.”

“We agree with the proposals to halt the fighting, but we proceed from the assumption that the ceasefire should lead to lasting peace and remove the root causes of the crisis,” Putin added. 

From left, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security advisor Mike Waltz meet with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Saudi National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban, as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 18, 2025. (Associated Press)

Russia ramped up its barrage of missile and drone attacks after the U.S. paused military aid and intelligence sharing after Trump suggested he didn’t believe Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was “serious” about peace. 

The comments came following an Oval Office blow-up when Zelenskyy refused to sign a mineral deal without security guarantees from the U.S. 

Vice President JD Vance accused the Ukrainian president of being “disrespectful.”

But following the successful talks with Ukraine in Jeddah this week, the U.S. immediately lifted its aid and intelligence pause. 

“Ukraine is committed to moving quickly toward peace, and we are prepared to do our part in creating all of the conditions for a reliable, durable, and decent peace,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X Thursday. “I thank our teams for the fact that military aid and intelligence sharing resumed.

“Ukraine was ready for an air and sea ceasefire, but the U.S. proposed extending it to land. Ukraine welcomes this proposal,” he added.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press conference at the Ukraine peace summit in Obbürgen, Switzerland, on June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Zelenskyy said Putin’s thus far silence on the ceasefire proposal “once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible.” 

“We hope that U.S. pressure will be sufficient to compel Russia to end the war,” he added.