US Rejects Putin's Proposal To Freeze Conflict In Ukraine

The Russian ruler has been sending signals to Washington.

The US authorities refused to discuss Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal to freeze the conflict and ceasefire in Ukraine, which the Russian president sent to Washington through mediators. Three Russian sources familiar with the discussions on the proposal informed Reuters about this.

According to the agency's interlocutors, Putin sent signals to Washington in 2023 both publicly and in private messages through intermediaries, including Moscow's Arab partners in the Middle East. He was willing to freeze the conflict at current ground, but did not want to give up occupied Ukrainian territories controlled by the Russian military.

"Contacts with the Americans have led nowhere," a senior Russian source familiar with discussions in late 2023 and early 2024 told Reuters.

Another source also revealed to Reuters that the Americans told Moscow through intermediaries that they would not discuss a possible ceasefire without Ukraine's participation, and therefore the contacts led nowhere.

A third source familiar with the discussions said: "Everything failed with the Americans." He noted that the US refused to put pressure on Ukraine.

All three sources said Putin's signal was relayed to Washington, where it was discussed by senior US officials, including White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Central Intelligence Agency director Bill Burns and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Moscow had expected Sullivan to talk to Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and outline the next steps toward a cease-fire. However, Sullivan told Ushakov in January that Washington was not ready to talk about it without Ukraine. A U.S. official who spoke to Reuters refused to confirm such a conversation or give details of contacts with Moscow.

"Putin said: "I knew they wouldn't do anything," the Russian source told Reuters. According to the agency's interlocutors, the Kremlin sees no point in further contacts with the United States on the issue, so the war will continue.