A top Kremlin aide on Friday criticised the US-Ukrainian proposal for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, saying it would just be a “breather” for the Ukrainian military.

“It would be nothing more than a temporary breather for the Ukrainian military,” Yuri Ushakov told state media after speaking by phone to US national security advisor Mike Waltz.

He said President Vladimir Putin would “probably make more specific and substantive assessments” on Thursday.

This handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on March 8, 2025, shows Ukrainian rescuers working to extinguish a fire in a building destroyed after a drone attack in Bohodukhiv, Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Handout / UKRAINIAN EMERGENCY SERVICE / AFP)

Ushakov also said that Russia was aiming for a “long-term peaceful solution” that would secure Russia’s “legitimate interests”.

“That is what we are striving for,” he said.

“Any steps that imitate peaceful action are I believe not needed by anyone in the current situation,” he said.

US negotiators travelled to Russia on Thursday to present their plan for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, as Washington pushed Moscow for an “unconditional” pause to the three-year conflict.

AFP