US has put many issues on the table for peace in Ukraine - Rostoks

RIGA - The US has put a large number of issues on the table in the ceasefire talks in the hope that Russia might agree to make some concessions in order to normalize its relations with the US in other areas, the director of the Latvian National Defense Academy's Security and Strategic Research Center Toms Rostoks told TV3 this morning.

The researcher reminded that US President Donald Trump cares deeply about economic issues and is willing to link them to security guarantees that partners may not like.

In its relations with Russia, the US has also put sanctions on the negotiating table, as well as investment in Russia, natural resource extraction projects and similar issues. "The idea is that Russia could make some concessions in Ukraine, and then its relations with Russia would be normalized. America has put more issues on the negotiating table in the hope that Russia will agree," Rostoks said.

In the event of a ceasefire in Ukraine, the researcher does not really see the possibility of sending troops from other countries, but in the event of a lasting peace, this could be done by sending larger, well-equipped and armed NATO troop units of tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine further from the front line, but in a way that would make them ready to respond to incidents on the front line.

Russia is now doing everything to isolate Ukraine and intimidate countries that are thinking of sending peacekeepers to Ukraine, Rostoks commented.

Asked about the possibility of a ceasefire in Ukraine and Russia's potential efforts to exploit it for political purposes, he said that Russia is aware that agreeing to a ceasefire will make it look like a reasonable, sensible partner, which will in turn open the door for further talks with Trump.

As reported, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on Thursday said he was ready to agree to a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine, but with conditions.

"We agree with proposals to end hostilities, but this proposal must be one that would lead to long-term peace and address the root causes of the war," Putin said.

The dictator said that Russia supports the 30-day ceasefire in principle, but there are nuances. One of these nuances is the situation of the Ukrainian army in the Kursk region, which he described as under siege. He stressed that there were many other details related to the cessation of hostilities that would have to be discussed in detail with the US.

Trump later said that Putin had made a very promising statement about a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, but added that it was not complete.

Trump said that "I would love to meet him or talk to him, but we have to finish this quickly".