Putin sent 'additional signals' to Trump on ceasefire proposal, Kremlin says
Russia has sent "additional signals" to U.S. President Donald Trump regarding a proposed ceasefire through special envoy Steve Witkoff, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on March 14.
Witkoff landed in Moscow on March 13 and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin late in the evening, according to Peskov. Following Witkoff's report to Trump, Moscow and Washington will discuss potential dates for a phone call between the leaders, he added in comments reported by Russian state media.
"Additional information was provided to the Russian side. Through Witkoff, Putin also passed information and additional signals to Trump," Peskov said.
The visit comes as the U.S. seeks Russian agreement on a proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, which Kyiv accepted during talks in Jeddah on March 11. The agreement led Washington to restart military and intelligence support for Ukraine after halting it last week.
Putin said on March 13 that Russia is prepared to accept the ceasefire but demanded that Ukraine halt mobilization, military training, and foreign aid deliveries during the truce.
Trump called Putin's remarks "very promising" but said they were "not complete," addinghe is open to meeting with the Russian leader.
President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Putin's response as "manipulative" and suggested the Russian president is preparing to reject the proposal.
"Now we have all heard very predictable, very manipulative words from Putin in response to the idea of silence at the front — he is, in fact, preparing to reject it as of now," Zelensky said in his evening address on March 13.
Witkoff previously traveled to Moscow in February to negotiate the release of U.S. teacher Marc Fogel from Russian prison. He claimed he spoke directly with Putin for over three hours during that visit.
Oleg Sukhov
