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Topics: World News, Ukraine, Russia, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Russian President Vladimir Putin has laid out his list of demands for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
This comes as Russia seemingly had a public change of heart on the prospect of a ceasefire in Ukraine.
It initially appeared the Russians weren't onboard with the idea after Putin aide Yuri Ushakov dismissed the idea of a 30-day ceasefire ahead of talks to permanently end the war. Despite US leader Donald Trump's previous warnings that things would get 'very bad for Russia' if they didn't agree to a deal.
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But just as we were all busy stockpiling tinned food and building fallout shelters, Putin announced that Russia 'absolutely supports' a ceasefire deal after all... with conditions.
Putin has now made it clear that a ceasefire in Ukraine would only be on the table if his demands are met, telling reporters during a broadcast on Russian state television that he was in favour of a 30-day ceasefire, but there are 'nuances'.
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"First of all, what are we going to do about this incursion in Kursk?" he began, referring to the small areas of Russian territory which Ukraine currently holds.
The 72-year-old has previously stated that Russian forces are allegedly back in control of the Kursk region and that Ukrainian troops 'have been isolated'.
He added: "If we ceased hostilities for 30 days, would it mean that everybody there would leave? Should we release them after they committed serious crimes against civilians there?"
Putin then further questioned the technicalities of a ceasefire, questioning if the Ukrainians would use the time to regroup and rearm their forces. "How will those 30 days be used? For Ukraine to mobilise? Rearm? Train people? Or none of that? Then a question - how will that be controlled," he questioned.
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"How will other aspects be dealt with along with 2,000-kilometre contact line? As you know, the Russian troops are advancing practically in every sector of the contact line, and all the conditions are there for us to besiege fairly large [Ukrainian] units."
Russia is thought to occupy around 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, which includes parts of the parts of Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts, as well as Crimea.
The questions laid out in Putin's TV address follow previous conditions set by the Russian leader, which includes no NATO membership for Kyiv, along with an agreement not to deploy foreign troops in Ukraine and international recognition of Russian sovereignty over occupied Ukrainian territory (via The Times).
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"The idea is good and we absolutely support it, but there are issues we need to discuss, and I think we need to negotiate with our American colleagues," he added.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy has since responded to Putin's update with a statement of his own, accusing the Russians of 'preparing to reject' the deal.