Russian President announced Thursday that he agreed “in principle” to the Ukraine ceasefire deal and hoped that it would lead to lasting peace. Ukraine and its president Volodymyr Zelensky had already agreed to the U.S. proposed 30-day halt to hostilities and was awaiting Russia's response.

🚨 #BREAKING: Russia agrees with the temporary ceasefire in Ukraine after Trump sent Rubio and Witkoff to help broker it.

This is the Art of the Deal in action! And COUNTLESS lives will be saved.

Putin thanked President Trump for his efforts, and says he wants to speak with him… pic.twitter.com/OgjgUG42zH

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 13, 2025

Putin thanked President Trump for his efforts, and says he wants to speak with him first before making it final. Trump is truly the peace President!

Putin, however, still has demands:

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia agrees in principle with the U.S. ceasefire proposal, but the terms need to be worked out. He emphasized that it should pave the way to lasting peace.

“We agree with the proposals to halt the fighting, but we proceed from the assumption that the ceasefire should lead to lasting peace and remove the root causes of the crisis,” Putin said.

Putin noted that Ukrainian troops are encircled in their last foothold in Russia’s Kursk region, and it’s necessary to determine before a ceasefire whether they will lay down weapons and surrender.

He also noted that it’s necessary to develop a mechanism to control possible breaches of the truce. Another issue, he said, is whether Ukraine could use the 30-day ceasefire to continue mobilization and rearmament.

He also stated, “We also want guarantees that Ukraine will not mobilize, train soldiers, or receive weapons during the 30-day cease-fire.” 

More--> BREAKING: Ukraine Agrees to 30-Day Ceasefire; Now the Ball Is in Putin's Court

NEW: Zelensky Makes Official Apology for Oval Office Blow-Up, but the Path Forward Just Got Murkier 

Putin has been playing cat and mouse as negotiations have gone back and forth. It remains to be seen if he’s still playing games or if he’s truly interested in peace.

An envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump arrived Thursday in Moscow for talks on an American-proposed 30-day ceasefire that Ukraine has accepted, but a senior Russian official said the truce would only help Kyiv by giving its weary and shorthanded military a break.

The diplomatic effort coincided with a Russian claim that its troops have driven the Ukrainian army out of a key town in Russia’s Kursk border region, where Moscow has been trying for seven months to dislodge Ukrainian troops from their foothold.

A U.S. official confirmed the arrival of Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the matter.

As RedState’s Bonchie reported earlier Thursday, Putin has been testing Donald Trump’s patience:

With ceasefire negotiations looming, it looks like President Donald Trump got tired of Russian President Vladimir Putin's bluster. In a move likely meant to build leverage, the Trump administration has not renewed a Joe Biden-era waiver that facilitated European purchases of Russian oil.

As RedState reported, after the US president asked Putin to stop "pounding" Ukraine so talks could be organized, Russia proceeded to escalate attacks, including on civilian areas. Perhaps the purpose was to show strength and put Trump on his heels at the negotiating table. Whatever the reason, it doesn't seem to have worked in Russia's favor.

Here is Putin's statement in full:

As for readiness of Ukraine for the ceasefire, I’ll tell you my estimation of this, but first of all, I would like to thank the President of the United States for paying so much attention to regulating the conflict in Ukraine. 

Of course, we all have lots of current issues to deal with, and the Chairman of China and the Prime Minister of India, and heads of state of Brazil and South Africa, they are dealing with this issue and they are paying a lot of attention to this, and we are grateful for this. And…we understand that their activity is aimed at reducing loss of human life in the conflict. 

Secondly is we agree with the proposals for the ceasefire, but our position is based on the assumption that the ceasefire would lead to a long-term peace — something that would remove the initial reasons for the crisis. As for the readiness of Ukraine to ceasefire, there’s a meeting between Americans and Ukrainians in Saudi Arabia, and it looks like a decision that is taken by Ukrainian side and American pressure. In reality, I am completely convinced that Ukraine…had to ask…Americans insist on this, based on the situation on the ground.

The Russian dictator is of course an untrustworthy negotiating partner, and he will always put his own interests first. This is positive news on a story that rarely produces it, but we will just have to wait and see if he plays it straight and truly moves toward a peaceful solution. 

Note: This article has been updated as more information continues to come in.