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

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 sources familiar with discussions within Putin's entourage revealed that the veteran Russian leader expressed frustration to a small group of advisers over what he perceives as Western-backed efforts to block negotiations and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's decision to rule out talks.

"Putin can fight for as long as it takes, but he is also ready for a ceasefire—to freeze the war," said one of the four sources, a senior Russian insider who has worked with Putin and is knowledgeable about top-level Kremlin conversations.

These sources spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. Reuters interviewed a total of five individuals who work or have worked with Putin at a senior level in the political and business sectors. The fifth source did not comment on the possibility of freezing the war at the current frontlines.

At a news conference in Belarus, Putin addressed the Reuters report by advocating for the resumption of peace talks. "Let them resume," he said, stressing that negotiations should be based on "the realities on the ground" and a plan agreed upon during earlier attempts to reach a deal in the initial weeks of the war. "Not on the basis of what one side wants," he added.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Putin of trying to derail a Ukrainian-initiated peace summit in Switzerland next month by sending out "phony signals" through his entourage about his alleged readiness to halt the war.

"Putin currently has no desire to end his aggression against Ukraine. Only the principled and united voice of the global majority can force him to choose peace over war," Kuleba stated on X.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, claimed that Putin wanted Western democracies to accept defeat.

NOT "ETERNAL WAR"

Last week, economist Andrei Belousov's appointment as Russia's defense minister was seen by some Western military and political analysts as an effort to place the Russian economy on a permanent war footing for a protracted conflict. This appointment followed sustained battlefield pressure and recent territorial advances by Russia.

However, the sources indicated that Putin, re-elected in March for a new six-year term, would prefer to use Russia's current momentum to conclude the war. They did not directly comment on the new defense minister.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, in response to a request for comment, said the country did not want “eternal war.”

Based on their understanding of conversations in the Kremlin's upper ranks, two sources said Putin believed that the gains made in the war thus far were sufficient to present as a victory to the Russian people. Europe's biggest ground conflict since World War II has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides and led to extensive Western sanctions on Russia's economy.

Three sources indicated that Putin understood any significant new advances would necessitate another nationwide mobilization, which he wanted to avoid. One source, who knows Putin, mentioned that his popularity dipped after the first mobilization in September 2022, which spooked part of the population and led hundreds of thousands of draft-age men to leave the country. Polls showed Putin’s popularity falling by several points.

Peskov stated that Russia had no need for mobilization and was instead recruiting volunteer contractors for the armed forces.

Currently, the prospect of a ceasefire or peace talks seems remote. Zelenskiy has repeatedly declared that peace on Putin's terms is a non-starter and has vowed to reclaim lost territory, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. He signed a decree in 2022 formally declaring any talks with Putin "impossible."

One source predicted that no agreement could occur while Zelenskiy remained in power unless Russia bypassed him and struck a deal with Washington. However, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking in Kyiv last week, expressed skepticism, saying he did not believe Putin was interested in serious negotiations.