Putin stalls on U.S. proposed cease-fire plan

After Ukraine and the United States agreed to a proposed 30-day cease-fire in Jeddah last Tuesday, the Trump Administration resumed weapons shipments and intelligence sharing to Kyiv. The ball was now back in Russia’s court.

Initial reports out of the Kremlin suggested Putin would reject the ceasefire plan outright. Russia was making good headway in the Kursk region. Russia had just taken back the strategic logistics town of Sudzha. What incentive would Putin have to agree to the ceasefire?

According to the BBC, Putin did not outright reject the peace plan. Instead, he proposed many questions and conditions, clearly for the purpose of delay.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow on Thursday, Putin said of the ceasefire proposal: "The idea is right - and we support it - but there are questions that we need to discuss." How will those 30 days be used? For Ukraine to mobilize? Rearm? Train people? Or none of that? Then a question - how will that be controlled?

"Who will give the order to end the fighting? At what cost? Who decides who has broken any possible ceasefire over 2,000km? All those questions need meticulous work from both sides. Who polices it?"

In the meantime, President Trump’s aid flew to Moscow to meet with Putin. It isn’t clear from the reporting yet if he met with Putin and, if so, what was said.

Also on Thursday, the Washington Post reported on classified U.S. intelligence reports that Putin is not willing to end the war and has not changed his plan of dominating Ukraine. This information was as recent as March 6th.

On Saturday, March 15, 2025, Russia launched a drone attack on the northern region of Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Kyiv. An apartment building was ablaze in Chernihiv after the attack. The attacks killed a 67-year-old woman and injured five others, including two 17-year-old boys.

This brings up the obvious question of whether Putin is ready for peace. If he is ready for peace, will it be only at the cost of the total domination of Ukraine?

This isn’t a price the United States should ask of any ally or partner.