Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that President Vladimir Putin sent some “additional signals” to President Donald Trump concerning Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Putin said on Thursday he is ready to accept the proposal in principle, but he demanded some modifications that Ukraine is unlikely to accept.
Peskov said Putin’s messages were passed along to Trump by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who arrived in Moscow on Thursday for a meeting with Putin. Among Witkoff’s objectives is setting up a phone call between Trump and Putin, something Peskov said could happen after Witkoff brings Putin’s messages back to Washington.
“Additional information was provided to the Russian side. Through Witkoff, Putin also passed information and additional signals to Trump,” Peskov said at a press conference on Friday, shortly after Witkoff left Moscow.
Peskov said “there are reasons to feel this cautious optimism” about the Trump proposal, although “a great deal” of work needs to be done. He said “both sides understand” that a direct conversation between Trump and Putin is necessary. The last known direct conversation between the two leaders was almost exactly one month ago.
Putin and Trump blasted some more signals at each other on Friday. Trump wrote a post on his preferred social media platform, Truth Social, in which he praised Witkoff’s “very good and productive discussions” with Putin on Thursday.
“There is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end,” Trump wrote.
“BUT, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN TROOPS ARE COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY THE RUSSIAN MILITARY, AND IN A VERY BAD AND VULNERABLE POSITION,” Trump added, switching to all-caps for emphasis as he often does.
“I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II. God bless them all!!!” Trump said.
President Trump was referring to the Ukrainian force in Kursk. Ukraine launched a surprise counter-invasion of Kursk in August 2024, embarrassing the Russian military and prompting Putin to call in reinforcements from his ally, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
The Ukrainians held on in Kursk for over half a year, but they have recently suffered a string of setbacks, including the loss of the largest town in Kursk they had occupied. Putin suggested on Wednesday that not only is the Ukrainian force on the verge of being completely eliminated, but victorious Russian troops may push beyond the border to create a “security zone” of captured Ukrainian territory.
Putin responded in a televised address to his Security Council on Friday, accusing the Ukrainian invaders of “terrorism” but suggesting they might receive lenient treatment – if they unconditionally surrender.
“I would like to emphasize that if they lay down their arms and surrender, they will be guaranteed life and decent treatment in accordance with international law and the laws of the Russian Federation,” Putin said.
“To effectively implement the appeal of the U.S. president, a corresponding order from the military-political leadership of Ukraine is needed for its military units to lay down their arms and surrender,” he stressed.
The Ukrainian military insisted its forces in Kursk are not surrounded or on the brink of destruction, dismissing reports to the contrary as “false and fabricated by the Russians.” They undermined these denials somewhat by ordering mandatory evacuations in Sumy, the part of Ukraine that Russia would invade if its forces pushed across the border from Kursk.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Putin was merely “doing everything possible to ensure that diplomacy fails.”
“Putin cannot get out of this war, because then he will be left with nothing. That is why he is now doing everything possible to sabotage diplomacy, setting extremely difficult and unacceptable conditions from the very beginning, even before the cease-fire,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky previously dismissed Putin’s response to Trump’s ceasefire overtures as “very predictable” and “very manipulative.”
“We do not set conditions that complicate anything. Russia does that. As we have always said, the only one who will drag things out, the only one who will be unconstructive is Russia,” he said.
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