Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the "manipulative remarks" of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin regarding the US proposal for a ceasefire and accused him of wanting to "procrastinate" in order to continue the war, Agence France-Presse reported, referring to the Ukrainian leader's regular evening address, BTA writes.
"We all heard Putin's very predictable and manipulative words in response to the idea" for this ceasefire, Zelensky said, calling for increased pressure on Moscow.
Putin said earlier today that he supports the ceasefire, provided that "important issues" are resolved.
According to Zelensky, Russia is putting conditions on the ceasefire agreement in order to delay it or make it not happen at all.
"In fact, it is currently preparing a refusal, because Putin, of course, is afraid to tell President Trump that he wants to continue this war, that he wants to kill Ukrainians," the Ukrainian president said.
"That is why Moscow is imposing these conditions on the idea of a ceasefire so that nothing happens at all or that it cannot happen for as long as possible," the Ukrainian president added.
Zelensky also said that Washington has expressed its readiness to organize control and monitoring of the cessation of the fire.
"This can be ensured with the help of America and Europe," he said.
Zelensky pointed out that the ceasefire would give time "to prepare answers to all questions related to long-term security, as well as a real, reliable peace, and to put a plan for ending the war on the negotiating table".