Zelenskyy's office on Putin-Trump talks: 'Russia is buying time'
Photo: Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine Mykhailo Podoliak (president.gov.ua)
Russia does not seek peace but merely prolongs the war, using negotiations to gain pauses. Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine Mykhailo Podoliak emphasized in a comment to RBC-Ukraine's YouTube channel that Ukraine's position remains unchanged.
In particular, Podolyak noted that Russia has no real initiative to end the war. Instead, it is stalling for time and attempting to secure operational pauses to build up its resources.
According to the Ukrainian advisor, Moscow is putting forward unacceptable conditions, which is entirely predictable, as for Russia, the concept of war is the only viable model that allows it to maintain influence over international processes.
"Russia does not want any ceasefire, certainly does not want any truce, peace, or anything of the sort," Podolyak emphasized.
Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office also stressed that the Kremlin uses negotiation initiatives to create pauses that allow it to restore resources and adjust its budget. Furthermore, Russian dictator Putin seeks to influence the supply of weapons to Ukraine by resorting to primitive bluffing.
Podolyak underscored that there is no secret deal between Trump and Putin, and the US President is currently only considering his diplomatic approaches. At the same time, in his view, without real mechanisms to pressure Moscow, achieving any changes is impossible.
"Ukraine's position remains unchanged," summarized the Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine.
30-day ceasefire
On Tuesday, March 18, US President Donald Trump held a phone conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. One of the main topics discussed was the end of the war in Ukraine.
Following the negotiations, the reports revealed that Putin agreed to a 30-day truce. However, this does not mean a full ceasefire, as proposed by the US and supported by Ukraine, but only a temporary halt to strikes on energy and infrastructure facilities.
