Russian President Vladimir Putin is insisting that all weapons deliveries to Ukraine must be halted during a ceasefire proposed by US President Donald Trump, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the situation.
The two leaders began a phone conversation at 10 a.m. in Washington on Tuesday, according to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, who posted on the X social media platform. "The call is going well," he stated. The Kremlin has not yet commented on the discussions that Washington hopes will secure Moscow's agreement to the 30-day truce, which Ukraine has already indicated it's ready to accept.
Putin, who met with a Trump representative last week, has established the suspension of arms supplies as a prerequisite for agreeing to the ceasefire according to Bloomberg, citing a senior European official and three people in Moscow familiar with Russia's position. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not respond to requests for comment on the matter. The White House National Security Council also did not respond when asked to comment.
While Russia seeks to block all weapons shipments to Ukraine, the minimum goal is to halt US aid, according to two sources in Moscow with knowledge of the Kremlin's thinking. The senior European official added that Europe was extremely reluctant to accept Russia's demand to block weapons deliveries to Ukraine during any truce. Such an outcome would create a situation where Russia could rearm during the pause in fighting, while Ukraine would be prevented from doing so.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with Trump before the US leader's conversation with Putin. Starmer told Trump that Ukraine must be placed in the "strongest possible position" to secure a "just and lasting peace," according to his official spokesman. The UK and European Union are both working to deliver fresh military aid packages to Kyiv as quickly as possible.
Putin has expressed support for the US proposal in principle but insists several conditions must be met before Russia can agree to stop its invasion. The Russian leader will likely agree to a truce, though he wants to ensure his terms are included first.
Ukrainian authorities are concerned about Russian attempts to attach conditions to the US proposal for a ceasefire, which Ukraine accepted without reservations, according to an official in Kyiv with knowledge of the situation. A truce could be implemented within a week if Russia simply agreed to end hostilities, the official told Bloomberg, requesting anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the discussions.
The US and Ukraine announced the ceasefire plan last week following talks in Saudi Arabia. The Trump administration also said it was lifting a roughly week-long suspension of arms supplies and intelligence-sharing that it had imposed to pressure Ukraine into accepting diplomatic efforts.
Trump has offered to meet Putin as part of his initiative to end the three-year-long Russian invasion of Ukraine – a conflict that triggered the largest military confrontation in Europe since World War II and an escalating confrontation with the West. The truce would represent the first step toward a comprehensive peace agreement.
The Trump administration has effectively already conceded to Russian demands to maintain control of occupied Ukrainian territory and for Kyiv to abandon its aspiration to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This has fueled European concerns that any deal the US president reaches with Putin will leave Ukraine weakened and vulnerable to future Russian aggression.
