Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that his country agrees with proposals to end ongoing hostilities in Ukraine.
"We agree with the proposals to stop hostilities," Putin told a joint press conference with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow.
But Putin said a ceasefire proposal would be accepted by the Russian side only if it would "lead to long-term peace and eliminate the initial causes of this crisis."
Moscow supports the idea of ending the Russia-Ukraine war through "peaceful means," he added.
On the situation in Russia's border region of Kursk, where Ukraine launched an incursion last August, Putin said it is now under the control of the Russian military, claiming that Ukrainian forces located in the region are "completely isolated."
Saying the idea of a ceasefire in Ukraine is "correct," Putin added there are issues that they must discuss.
He also thanked US President Donald Trump for "paying so much attention" to the issue of finding a settlement for the conflict in Ukraine.
