Ceasefire

The rebels agreed to a ceasefire while the peace talks were underway.

Negotiators mediated a ceasefire.

But residents say steady Russian military pressure – combined now with an American president’s apparent parroting of Kremlin talking points about the war, and his push for a ceasefire that could include Ukrainian territorial losses – means Russia is also winning in a different way, by escalating Ukrainian anxiety.

Putin’s answered by simply stating he did not believe Ukraine had honored the previous ceasefires Moscow had unilaterally called, and that Kyiv has said Moscow never respected either.