Russia on Friday said President Vladimir Putin had sent “additional” signals to counterpart Donald Trump about a Washington-proposed ceasefire in Ukraine, adding it was “cautiously optimistic” about the prospect of a deal.
US envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin late on Thursday to lay out the details of the joint US-Ukrainian plan, which envisages a 30-day pause in hostilities between Moscow and Kyiv after three years of fighting.
The Kremlin said Putin conveyed “additional” signals to Trump via Witkoff and that the two leaders could speak once Trump had been briefed on these messages.
“When Mr Witkoff brings all the information to President Trump, we will determine the timing of a conversation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“There is an understanding on all sides that such a conversation is needed.” US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said in a Fox News interview that the US had “some cautious optimism” after Witkoff’s visit.
Commenting on Waltz’s remarks, Peskov said on Friday: “There are reasons to be cautiously optimistic.”
“There is still much to be done, but the president has nevertheless identified with President Trump’s position.”
Putin said on Thursday that he backed the idea of a truce with Ukraine, but said he had “serious questions” about how it would be implemented that he wanted to discuss with Trump.
The Russian leader said he wanted any settlement to secure “long-term peace”, alluding to Moscow’s demand that Ukraine be barred from Nato.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday condemned Putin’s ambivalent response to the proposal as “very manipulative”, while Germany called it a “delaying tactic”.
Trump asks Putin to spare lives of Ukrainian soldiers on front line
US President Trump pleaded with his Russian counterpart to spare the lives of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline, as he expressed hope for an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared,” Trump wrote on Friday on his Truth Social platform following what he described as a “very good and productive discussions” with Putin.
Saudi crown prince tells Putin he supports ‘all initiatives’ to end war
Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, told the Russian president that the kingdom supports “all initiatives” to end the Ukraine war, a statement said on Friday.
The crown prince reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s “commitment to facilitating dialogue and supporting all initiatives aimed at achieving a political resolution” in a phone call with Putin, a foreign ministry statement said.
‘Strong G7 unity’ on Ukraine in talks: host Canada
The Group of Seven foreign ministers published a unified statement backing US-led calls for a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, host Canada said on Friday, despite friction with Trump.
“Through our long conversations, we were able to find strong G7 unity on a variety of issues that were discussed and one that I would like to highlight in particular is the one linked to Ukraine,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told reporters on the last day of the talks in Quebec.
“All G7 foreign ministers agree with the US proposal of a ceasefire that is supported by Ukrainians and we are now studying and looking at the Russian reaction,” she said. “So, ultimately, the ball is now in Russia’s court when it comes to Ukraine.”
The club of wealthy democracies — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — has been rattled by Trump’s outreach to Russia since returning to office and his heavy pressure on Ukraine, which Moscow invaded in 2022.
But diplomacy dramatically shifted Tuesday when Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was taking part in the Quebec talks, met Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia, with Kyiv backing a proposal for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire.
