No Weapons for Ukraine During 30-Day Truce: Putin Sets New Condition Ahead of Talks With Trump

Moscow: Ahead of his much-awaited talks with Donald Trump , Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that all weapons deliveries to Ukraine be halted during the 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States president, Bloomberg News reported.

According to the report, the Kremlin has insisted that arms supplies from both the United States and Europe should stop, though the immediate priority is to block US military aid to Ukraine.

A Kremlin spokesperson confirmed that leaders would hold a phone call on Tuesday evening (IST) to discuss the ceasefire and other related matters. However, European nations remain hesitant to halt weapons deliveries, arguing that doing so would allow Russia to re-arm while leaving Ukraine vulnerable.

European officials have also raised concerns over Trump’s stance on Russia, with many fearing that he may agree to Putin’s demands.

Meanwhile, Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov stated that the proposed ceasefire could provide Ukrainian forces with a strategic pause. “The Russian army is advancing on all fronts, and under these circumstances, the ceasefire could be viewed as a way to allow Ukraine to strengthen its position,” he was quoted as saying.

Trump, Putin to Discuss Ceasefire; Zelenskyy Doubts Russia’s Intent

President Donald Trump is to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as he looks to get buy-in on a U.S. ceasefire proposal he hopes can create a pathway to ending Russia’s devastating war on Ukraine. The White House is optimistic that peace is within reach even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains skeptical that Putin is doing much beyond paying lip service to Trump.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that the Trump-Putin discussion will focus on the Ukraine conflict but will also address a “large number of questions” concerning the normalization of U.S.-Russia relations. The call is scheduled to take place between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. GMT (9 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET), Peskov confirmed.

Ahead of the Trump-Putin call, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Moscow last week to discuss the proposal with Putin. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio convinced senior Ukrainian officials during talks in Saudi Arabia to accept the ceasefire framework.

The  US president stated that Washington and Moscow have already begun talks on “dividing up certain assets” between Ukraine and Russia as part of a peace deal.

Trump, who campaigned on a promise to swiftly end the war, has at times highlighted his ties with Putin while blaming Ukraine for Russia’s unprovoked invasion. He has also accused Zelenskyy of unnecessarily prolonging the largest land war in Europe since World War II.