Putin Unlikely to Accept US Ceasefire 'Trap' Because Russia is 'Advancing' on Battlefield: Report

Senior Russians are reportedly skeptical about the possibility that President Vladimir Putin will accept the U.S.' ceasefire proposal regarding the war in Ukraine, considering Moscow is currently in a strong position in the battlefield.

Citing senior sources, Reuters reported that Putin would need guarantees in order to move forward given the country's current upper hand in the war. Without them, the scenario could quickly change and Moscow then be blamed on the world scene for being reluctant to end the war.

One source said the proposal could be seen as a "trap" from Russia's perspective given the need for guarantees or pledges for any order to halt the fighting. Another one claimed that the proposal was a mere disguise of the real development, which was the resumption of military aid and intelligence sharing from the U.S. toward Ukraine.

Putin has said in the past that short-term ceasefires are not the way to end the war: "We don't need a truce, we need a long-term peace secured by guarantees for the Russian Federation and its citizens," he said in December, adding that "how to ensure these guarantees" was a "difficult question."

The Russian president said last June that in order to achieve peace Ukraine must officially drop any ambitions to join NATO and withdraw from the regions claimed by the country, which represent about a fifth of its territory.

The U.S. is expected to take the ceasefire proposal to Moscow following Kyiv's acceptance. Speaking to press in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope Russia will "say yes to peace."

"The ball is now in their court. The president's number one goal is for the war to end. I think today Ukraine has taken a concrete step in that regard, we hope the Russians will reciprocate," Rubio added.

President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel to Moscow later this week. He could meet President Vladimir Putin and get the country's response.

Bloomberg reported this week that Western Security officials believe Putin has no intention of compromising on land, peacekeepers and Ukrainian neutrality demands.