Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to halt the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that recognises the current battlefield lines, four Russian sources told Reuters, saying he is prepared to fight on if Kyiv and the West do not respond.

Three of the sources, familiar with discussions in Putin’s entourage, said the veteran Russian leader had expressed frustration to a small group of advisers about what he views as Western-backed attempts to stymie negotiations and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s decision to rule out talks.

“Putin can fight for as long as it takes, but Putin is also ready for a ceasefire – to freeze the war,” said another of the four, a senior Russian source who has worked with Putin and has knowledge of top level conversations in the Kremlin.

He, like the others cited in this story, spoke on condition of anonymity given the matter’s sensitivity.

  • andrewta@lemmy.worldEnglish
    643·
    6 months ago

    Better idea. Take his troops back to Russia.

    best idea: take his troops back to Russia and then take his butt to a tall bridge and jump.

  • HuddaBudda@kbin.social
    621·
    6 months ago

    This is happening at a time when Russian armor and infantry are being stalled at the north, south, and eastern fronts.

    This is also happening at a time when American munitions are about to be loaded into Ukraine. (June-July.)

    This is also happening as Ukraine is asking the US if they can use these Munitions inside Russia.

    • NOT_RICK@lemmy.worldEnglish
      381·
      6 months ago

      Yeah real shocking he wants a pause now that the Washington money firehose is back on full spray.

    • psmgx@lemmy.worldEnglish
      301·
      6 months ago

      Don’t forget F-16 squadrons finishing training and getting online any day now…

      The loss of Russian A-50 AWACS mean the air war is going to be hot this summer.

    • boredtortoise@lemm.eeEnglish
      19·
      6 months ago

      Putin also doesn’t recognize Zelensky as the leader now that Ukraine hasn’t had the possibility of doing their next election, so it’s a mystery who is Russia’s puppet they’re ready to negotiate with.

      There are also upcoming negotiations in Switzerland, which Russia might want to sidetrack with a rearming “truce”

  • empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    47·
    6 months ago

    this may be a signal that Russia is reaching the limit of its ability to sustain the war and he’s trying to grab a hold of what little land he tenuously holds right now. Putin wants to wrap it up before they start to lose ground again.

    • bamboo@lemm.eeEnglish
      35·
      6 months ago

      I wouldn’t be so sure. It’s likely that Russia sees a temporary ceasefire as a way to more efficiently regroup its army and continue the invasion. It would also give Ukraine a little bit of time to do the same, but given the political red tape in the west, it’s unlikely they would be able to be as efficient or effective

      • psmgx@lemmy.worldEnglish
        132·
        6 months ago

        Agreed, time is on the Russian side. A ceasefire, esp until Trump gets reelected, or doesn’t, and causes a civil war, gives him space to regroup and rearm with Indian and Chinese gear.

        Either way the US will be chaotic after the election and funding a foreign war may not be a thing, esp. if there is a domestic insurgency. And Europe still doesn’t have what it takes, and probably won’t, to meet any needs.

  • RubberDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
    411·
    6 months ago

    Just an ugly ploy to allow his cronies in the EU to be able to say that Russia offered a ceasefire.

    Noone is falling for this.

    • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      28·
      6 months ago

      If they took it, I bet there would be a ceasefire… for like 6 months or a year. Just enough time for Russia to manufacture and restock more weapons and maybe actually train their troops.

      • RubberDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
        131·
        6 months ago

        For sure, the direct tactical gains would be massive.

        Also, in the EU we have elections coming up. The right wing parties and Euro sceptics are already on a plus… so giving them another talking point is potentially even more valuable… if this stifles support for Ukraine.

  • ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
    36·
    6 months ago

    Even the premise of a ceasefire is so insulting. It would be agreeing that the invasion-pushed borders are valid enough to accept for a day, and by that, Ukraine would take the first step to agreeing they could accept them for a hundred days, a thousand… Every additional day strengthening the appearance of legitimacy. Russia needs to be broken to understand, there’s no negotiation that would work.

    Like all of Putin’s games, if you agree to play, you’ve already lost.

  • ghostdoggtv@lemmy.worldEnglish
    35·
    6 months ago

    Unfortunately for Russians, Ukraine is no longer interested in a ceasefire. Western munitions are about to drop, it’s gonna be a rainy summer

    • kent_eh@lemmy.caEnglish
      43·
      6 months ago

      Ukraine has no interest in a ceasefire that causes them to lose territory to the Russian invaders.

      And rightfully so.

    • RubberDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
      281·
      6 months ago

      To let us reconstitute our army groups and restock supplies. In order to show our good faith we will withdraw troops from the northern costly tactical mistake.

  • DMBFFF@lemmy.worldEnglish
    231·
    6 months ago

    Yeah, but the thing is, Ukraine isn’t ready to negotiate, and Biden will be President for at least another 7 months.

    Until then perhaps over 100 000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers will die, thanks to Putin.

    This war isn’t helping the demographics of either country.

    • xmunk@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      102·
      6 months ago

      While there might be a sudden (and long overdue) influx of material heading Ukraine’s way my understanding is that they’ve been attritioned out of a lot of their fighting capability due to the long (fuck you GOP) drought of munitions. Russia has a lot more manpower to throw at the war and has been actively recruiting dumb foreigners (or kidnapping foreigners) along with using prison labor to supplement their fighting force.

      • DMBFFF@lemmy.worldEnglish
        4·
        6 months ago

        Russia has about 3.5x the manpower, and IIUC, Ukraine might start using convicts. Maybe they might use some of that aid to increase pay and maybe get their own foreigners.

    • mctoasterson@reddthat.comEnglish
      3·
      6 months ago

      This history of Russia shows a willingness to throw bodies into the meatgrinder to achieve military objectives. While there are trained and professional forces fighting on the Russian side of this conflict, the lines have also been populated with conscripts, political dissidents, ethnic minorities, prisoners, and any other “human resources” that Putin doesn’t mind sacrificing. I doubt he is worried about troop strength.

      • fuckingkangaroos@lemm.eeEnglish
        31·
        6 months ago

        He’s absolutely worried about troop strength. Besides the fact that Russia is already getting screwed by a demographic crunch regardless of this war, Putin’s last mobilization was deeply unpopular.

      • DMBFFF@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        6 months ago

        The problem might not be so much the strength of the troops as much as their morale.

        AFAIK, Russian troop strength might have been good in February 1917.

  • zephyreks@lemmy.mlEnglish
    6·
    6 months ago

    Putin’s been saying this for forever… Basically ever since the doomed peace negotiations in 2022.

    Zelensky won’t accept a peace without retaking Crimea and Putin won’t accept a peace that relinquishes current territorial gains.

    We’re at an impasse until someone cracks. If Zaluzhny hadn’t been exiled to Britain, maybe things would be different.