For the first time, the US President and European leaders were on the same page. A part of Western leaders metaphorically stated that “the ball is in their court” after Ukraine’s agreement in talks with the US on Tuesday (11.03.2025) for an immediate ceasefire lasting 30 days. As The Guardian reports, instead of making a move, Vladimir Putin on Thursday “took the ball,” wrote a new set of terms on it, and sent it back—insisting that any game with Ukraine could not proceed unless the other side played by Russia’s rules. “The idea itself is right, and we certainly support it,” Putin said, sitting next to his long-time ally Alexander Lukashenko at a press conference in the Kremlin. It was the “but” that followed which did all the work. “There are questions we need to discuss, and I think we should discuss them with our American colleagues and partners,” he added, hinting that Ukraine should not rearm or mobilize and that Western military aid to Kyiv must stop during the ceasefire. Meanwhile, the message was clear: Russia had no intention of halting its own rearmament. Ukraine fears that Putin is preparing to do exactly what Kyiv accuses him of: exploiting the ceasefire to rearm and intensify his attack if negotiations fail as Russian forces push their advantage on the ground. In recent months, the geopolitical landscape has dramatically shifted in favor of the Russian leader as Donald Trump shaped US foreign policy to Moscow’s benefit while simultaneously straining relations with American allies. However, the joint proposal for a ceasefire from the US and Ukraine changed the game for Putin, forcing him to navigate the growing tension between his ambitions for a decisive victory in Ukraine and efforts to maintain close ties with Trump. By avoiding an outright rejection of Trump’s proposal, Putin appeared to be buying time—walking a fine line between apparent avoidance and imposing his strict conditions, effectively prolonging negotiations. “Putin used one of his favorite phrases… A steady ‘Yes, but…’”, said Andrei Kolesnikov, the chief political editor of Kommersant newspaper in Russia and one of the few journalists with direct access to the president. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saw Putin’s ambiguous response as another cynical tactic, rejecting it as “manipulative.” “Putin fears telling President Trump directly that he wants to continue this war,” he accused the Russian leader of framing the ceasefire idea with conditions that would render it ineffective or delay it indefinitely. The statements from Putin and Zelenskyy’s reaction have drawn a clear dividing line between the two sides’ positions. Ukraine envisions a dual approach: immediate ceasefire followed by negotiations for a long-term resolution backed by Western security guarantees. Russia, on the other hand, insists both issues must be resolved within a single comprehensive agreement extending far beyond a simple ceasefire. According to Washington Post, citing secret assessments from US intelligence agencies, including one earlier this month, the Russian president has not “moved away from his maximalist goal of dominating Ukraine.” Trump, in his push for an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, started small—pressuring Zelenskyy, whose army relies on American support. But Trump had “few options to address either Russian rejection or prolonged feigned compliance,” said Alexander Baunov, a political analyst at Carnegie for International Peace. While Trump committed to increasing sanctions against Russia, the reality was that the US had little room to escalate pressure except through increased military support, which he was unwilling to provide. Instead, Baunov suggested, the most effective way to influence Russia would be through carrots rather than sticks—offering relief from sanctions and reintegration into Western economies. From the start, Trump had leveraged economic investments and normalization of relations as incentives for Russia—or as his administration put it, “the incredible opportunities available to cooperate with the Russians” politically and economically. However, there was also a much darker possibility for Ukraine. “Facing the reality that he lacks real leverage against Putin for a quick agreement, Trump might align again with the Russian leader—turning Putin’s demands into a shared agenda,” said Baunov. Early signs would be worrying for Kyiv. On Friday, Trump reiterated Putin’s claims that thousands of Ukrainian troops were surrounded by the Russian army in the Kursk region—a claim disputed by Ukrainian sources and independent analysts. Trump wrote on Truth Social that he asked Putin to spare Ukrainian soldiers’ lives—a gesture Putin might gladly make given reports that no Ukrainian army appears actually trapped. Allowing Putin to play the role of a compassionate leader, Trump slides another card into Russia’s ever-expanding trick deck. Diplomatic ‘fever’ around the truce in Ukraine continues to rise, with behind-the-scenes consultations more intense than ever. The critical question looming is what message Steve Glickman, the US special envoy, will deliver to Vladimir Putin from Donald Trump regarding Ukrainian soldier safety. The atmosphere at the White House is tense as preparations are made for the upcoming phone call between Trump and Putin, though the exact date remains unclear and will depend on Glickman’s message upon his return to Washington after recent negotiations. According to Reuters, in the secretive talks between Russia and the US, territorial issues are being examined with specific maps and lines defining divided areas. Trump, referring to the position of Ukrainian forces, stated they are in an extremely difficult situation, surrounded and ready to face destruction. This statement paved the way for significant concessions from Ukraine while expressing optimism that the war might be nearing its end, mentioning understanding between Presidents Putin and Trump. Putin stated that Moscow guarantees Ukrainian soldier safety in Kursk if they surrender, adding that Ukrainian authorities must order their troops to lay down arms. For the talks with the US, he said “something is moving” and they will see what comes out of it. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Putin of not being serious about peace as the Kremlin expressed reservations about the US-proposed truce in Ukraine. Starmer said Russia is trying to obstruct and impose pointless conditions to prevent the agreement. He noted that if Russia comes to the negotiation table, the international community must oversee the truce to ensure it is serious and lasting. Similarly, Zelenskyy accused Russia of complicating negotiations, delaying them and placing conditions that prevent the process from completing. He stated that Russia is the only country that does not want the war to end and is trying to collapse diplomacy. During today’s “coalition of the willing” teleconference, leaders from Britain, France, and Turkey discuss ways to provide security guarantees to Ukraine while examining force development plans in case of a ceasefire agreement.