The report claimed that since September, Putin has been sending messages through intermediaries that he is open to a ceasefire that would stop the fighting on the front line.
The New York Times based its claim that Putin sent a message for a ceasefire on two former Russian officials close to the Kremlin and American and international officials who received messages from the Russian leader’s envoys.
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In the fall of 2022, he pushed for a ceasefire
American officials who spoke to the newspaper suggested that Russia was first pushing for a ceasefire agreement in the fall of 2022. The sources said that Putin was satisfied with the territories seized by Russia at that time and that this message was conveyed to Washington.
The newspaper argued that the Kremlin leadership wanted to end the war by declaring victory in Ukraine, even though it was sending a message to the public to continue the war.
An international official who met with Russian officials last fall told the NYT, “In the talks, they say they are ready to negotiate a ceasefire. They want to stay where they are on the battlefield.”
The article pointed out that it was unclear whether the Ukrainian government, which had previously promised to regain all occupied territories, would accept such an agreement.
“Russia will abandon the ceasefire if it makes progress again”
Former Russian officials told the newspaper that Putin might change his mind about the ceasefire if Russian forces make progress on the ground again.
A former senior Russian official told the NYT, “He really wants to stay in the current positions. But he is not willing to retreat even one meter.”
“Putin is indeed ready to negotiate”
Reached by the New York Times, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a voicemail, “Your theses are conceptually incorrect,” referring to Putin’s recent speech in which he said Russia’s war aims had not changed.
Peskov said, “Putin is really ready to negotiate. He said this. Russia will continue to be ready, especially to realize its own goals,” Peskov said.
US officials told the newspaper that Putin’s position has changed recently and that the Russian leader is no longer demanding a change in Zelensky’s government.
U.S. officials argued that Putin was trying to ensure that about 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory remained under Russian control with the ceasefire agreement.
