SPECIAL REPORT
Exclusive: Putin wants Ukraine ceasefire on current frontlines
Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to halt the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that recognises the current battlefield lines, four Russian sources told Reuters, saying he is prepared to fight on if Kyiv and the West do not respond.
Summary
- Russian sources indicate Putin ready to halt conflict at front
- Putin to take more land to pressure Kyiv to talk: sources
- Does not want another national mobilisation: sources
- Putin has no designs on NATO territory: sources
- Russia concerned about nuclear escalation: sources
Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to halt the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that recognises the current battlefield lines, four Russian sources told Reuters, saying he is prepared to fight on if Kyiv and the West do not respond.
Three of the sources, familiar with discussions in Putin’s entourage, said the veteran Russian leader had expressed frustration to a small group of advisers about what he views as Western-backed attempts to stymie negotiations and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s decision to rule out talks.
“Putin can fight for as long as it takes, but Putin is also ready for a ceasefire – to freeze the war,” said another of the four, a senior Russian source who has worked with Putin and has knowledge of top level conversations in the Kremlin.
He, like the others cited in this story, spoke on condition of anonymity given the matter’s sensitivity.
For this account, Reuters spoke to a total of five people who work with or have worked with Putin at a senior level in the political and business worlds. The fifth source did not comment on freezing the war at the current frontlines.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in response to a request for comment, said the Kremlin chief had repeatedly made clear Russia was open to dialogue to achieve its goals, saying the country did not want “eternal war.”
Ukraine’s foreign and defence ministries did not respond to questions.
The appointment last week of economist Andrei Belousov as Russia’s defence minister was seen by some Western military and political analysts as placing the Russian economy on a permanent war footing in order to win a protracted conflict.
It followed sustained battlefield pressure and territorial advances by Russia in recent weeks.
However, the sources said that Putin, re-elected in March for a new six-year term, would rather use Russia’s current momentum to put the war behind him. They did not directly comment on the new defence minister.
Based on their knowledge of conversations in the upper ranks of the Kremlin, two of the sources said Putin was of the view that gains in the war so far were enough to sell a victory to the Russian people.
Europe’s biggest ground conflict since World War Two has cost tens of thousands of lives on both sides and led to sweeping Western sanctions on Russia’s economy.
Three sources said Putin understood any dramatic new advances would require another nationwide mobilisation, which he didn’t want, with one source, who knows the Russian president, saying his popularity dipped after the first mobilisation in September 2022.
The national call up spooked part of the population in Russia, triggering hundreds of thousands of draft age men to leave the country. Polls showed Putin’s popularity falling by several points.
Peskov said Russia had no need for mobilisation and was instead recruiting volunteer contractors to the armed forces.
The prospect of a ceasefire, or even peace talks, currently seems remote.
Zelenskiy has repeatedly said peace on Putin’s terms is a non-starter. He has vowed to retake lost territory, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. He signed a decree in 2022 that formally declared any talks with Putin “impossible.”
One of the sources predicted no agreement could happen while Zelenskiy was in power, unless Russia bypassed him and struck a deal with Washington. However, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking in Kyiv last week, told reporters he did not believe Putin was interested in serious negotiations.
SWISS TALKS
Ukraine is preparing for talks hosted by Switzerland next month aimed at unifying international opinion on how to end the war. The talks were convened at the initiative of Zelenskiy who has said Putin should not attend. Switzerland has not invited Russia.
Moscow has said the talks are not credible without it being there. Ukraine and Switzerland want Russian allies including China to attend.
Speaking in China on May 17, Putin said Ukraine may use the Swiss talks to get a broader group of countries to back Zelenskiy’s demand for a total Russian withdrawal, which Putin said would be an imposed condition rather than a serious peace negotiation.
The Swiss foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We are ready for discussion. We never refused,” Putin said in China.
The Kremlin says it does not comment on the progress of what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine, but has repeatedly said Moscow is open to the idea of talks based on “the new realities on the ground.”
In response to questions for this story, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said any initiative for peace must respect Ukraine’s “territorial integrity, within its internationally recognised borders” and described Russia as the sole obstacle to peace in Ukraine.
“The Kremlin has yet to demonstrate any meaningful interest in ending its war, quite the opposite,” the spokesperson said.
In the past, Kyiv has dismissed Russia’s purported readiness to talk as an attempt to shift the blame onto it for the war.
Kyiv says Putin, whose team repeatedly denied he was planning a war before invading Ukraine in 2022, cannot be trusted to honour any deal.
Both Russia and Ukraine have also said they fear the other side would use any ceasefire to re-arm.
Kyiv and its Western backers are banking on a $61 billion U.S. aid package and additional European military aid to reverse what Zelenskiy described to Reuters this week as “one of the most difficult moments” of the full scale war.
As well as shortages of ammunition after U.S. delays in approving the package, Ukraine has admitted it is struggling to recruit enough troops and last month lowered the age for men who can be drafted to 25 from 27.
TERRITORY
Putin’s insistence on locking in any battlefield gains in a deal is non-negotiable, all of the sources suggested.
Putin would, however, be ready to settle for what land he has now and freeze the conflict at the current front lines, four of the sources said.
“Putin will say that we won, that NATO attacked us and we kept our sovereignty, that we have a land corridor to Crimea, which is true,” one of them said, giving their own analysis.
Freezing the conflict along current lines would leave Russia in possession of substantial chunks of four Ukrainian regions he formally incorporated into Russia in September 2022, but without full control of any of them.
Such an arrangement would fall short of the goals Moscow set for itself at the time, when it said the four of Ukraine’s regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – now belonged to it in their entirety.
Peskov said that there could be no question of handing back the four regions which were now permanently part of Russia according to its own constitution.
Another factor playing into the Kremlin chief’s view that the war should end is that the longer it drags on, the more battle-hardened veterans return to Russia, dissatisfied with post-war job and income prospects, potentially creating tensions in society, said one of the sources, who has worked with Putin.
‘RUSSIA WILL PUSH FURTHER’
In February, three Russian sources told Reuters the United States rejected a previous Putin suggestion of a ceasefire to freeze the war.
In the absence of a ceasefire, Putin wants to take as much territory as possible to ratchet up pressure on Ukraine while seeking to exploit unexpected opportunities to acquire more, three of the sources said.
Russian forces control around 18% of Ukraine and this month thrust into the northeastern region of Kharkiv.
Putin is counting on Russia’s large population compared to Ukraine to sustain superior manpower even without a mobilisation, bolstered by unusually generous pay packets for those who sign up.
“Russia will push further,” the source who has worked with Putin said.
Putin will slowly conquer territories until Zelenskiy comes up with an offer to stop, the person said, saying the Russian leader had expressed the view to aides that the West would not provide enough weapons, sapping Ukraine’s morale.
U.S. and European leaders have said they will stand by Ukraine until its security sovereignty is guaranteed. NATO countries and allies say they are trying to accelerate deliveries of weapons.
“Russia could end the war at any time by withdrawing its forces from Ukraine, instead of continuing to launch brutal attacks against Ukraine’s cities, ports, and people every day,” the State Department said in response to a question about weapons supplies.
All five sources said Putin had told advisers he had no designs on NATO territory, reflecting his public comments on the matter. Two of the sources cited Russian concerns about the growing danger of escalation with the West, including nuclear escalation, over the Ukraine standoff.
The State Department said the United States had not adjusted its nuclear posture, nor seen any sign that Russia was preparing to use a nuclear weapon.
“We continue to monitor the strategic environment and remain ready,” the spokesperson said.
-Reuters
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo has welcome the United Arab Emirates (UAE) flag carrier Emirates flight back to Nigeria after a two-year break.
Emirates landed in Lagos last week after it stopped operation to Nigeria over diplomatic impasse and non-repatriation on its revenues then.
That now is a tale of the past as Nigeria’s aviation minister, Keyamo has expressed gratitude over the resolution of the impasse.
“Thank you for coming back to stay. You are not going away again. Going forward, our relationship will expand beyond resumption of flights”, the minister remarked.
“There are other things we can do that are mutually beneficial to both countries”, Keyamo further stated.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Sports Village Square takes a peep down memory lane since Nigeria’s independence 64 years ago. The findings are encapsulated in 64 paragraphs
August 22, 1960 – The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) was formally admitted to FIFA at its Congress in Rome.
November 30, 1960 – Nigerian boxer, Dick Tiger won the Middleweight Championship of the British Empire by beating Canada’s Wilf Greaves by knock out in the ninth round.
October 23, 1962 – Dick Tiger of Nigeria beat America’s Gene Fullmer in San Francisco to become the WBA champion
November 9, 1962 – Dick Tiger was recognized as World Middleweight Champion by the New York State Athletic Commission, the European Boxing Union and the British Boxing Board of Control.
August 10, 1963 – The first world boxing bout in Nigeria as Dick Tiger became the WBC Middleweight champion and retained his WBA belt after beating Gene Fullman by knockout in the seventh round at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan.
October 10, 1964 – Nojim Maiyegun won Nigeria’s first ever medal at the Olympics when the light middleweight boxer shared the bronze medal with Józef Grzesiak of Poland.
October 21, 1965 – Dick Tiger regained his WBC and WBA belts which he had lost on December 7, 1963 to Joey Giardello at Atlantic City, New Jersey. He beat Giardello in New York to regain his crowns.
February 13, 1966 – For the first time, a Nigeria team won a football match in Ghana as the Sam Garba Okoye-inspired Nigerian Academicals which included Ismaila Mabo, Peter Anieke, and Tony Igwe, won 1-0 and followed up with a 2-1 win in the return leg in Lagos.
May 4, 1968 – The first time a Nigeria team qualified for a global football tournament. Even though the Green Eagles lost 1-0 to Ethiopia, they picked the ticket to feature at the Mexico ’68 Olympics.
August 26, 1972 – Isaac Ikhouria won a bronze medal in the boxing event of the Munich Olympic Games.
January 18, 1973 – Nigeria’s first continental honours, as the Green Eagles won the gold medal of the football event of the 2nd All Africa Games. The only victory Nigeria’s football team has obtained at the African Games.
March 14, 1976 – Nigeria’s return to the Africa Cup of Nations finals after 13 years absence was marked with an impressive third place position after beating Egypt 3-2. The highlight of the match was the spectacular winning goal scored by Muda Lawal.
April 18, 1976 – Nigeria pick the ticket for the Montreal Olympics after eliminating the current African champions, Morocco, 3-2 on aggregate. The Nigerian side however pulled out of the Olympics along with the other African countries.
December 12, 1976 – Shooting Stars became the first Nigerian team to win a continental title after a 4-2 aggregate win over Roger Milla -inspired Cameroon’s Tonerre Kalara in the African Winners Cup competition.
December 5, 1977 – Enugu Rangers won the African Winners Cup after beating Cameroon’s Canon Yaoundé 5-2 on aggregate.
March 22, 1980 – In front of enthusiastic crowd, including President Shehu Shagari, Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time.
April 6, 1983 – For the first time, Nigeria won the African Youth Championship (Tessema Cup after beating Cote d’Ivoire 4-3 on aggregate) and qualified for the World Youth Championship (now FIFA U-20 World Cup). It is the first time, Nigeria featured in a FIFA event.
June 4, 1983 – Nigeria unexpectedly beat former champions, USSR, 1-0, in one of the opening matches of the 1983 World Youth Championship (now Under 20 World Cup). It was the first time a Nigerian football team won a match organized by FIFA at global level.
July 28, 1984 – The Nigerian 4 x 400 team of Innocent Egbunike, Sunday Uti, Rotimi Peters and Moses Ugbusien won the bronze medal at the Los Angeles Olympics.
July 28, 1984 – Peter Konyengwachie won the silver medal in the featherweight category of boxing at the Los Angeles Olympics.
August 11, 1985 – Nigeria beat Germany 2-0 to win the inaugural FIFA Under 16 Tournament in China. It was the first time a team outside Europe and South America will win a major global event.
February 16, 1989 – When Christopher Ohenhen fired from a 15 metre spot kick in the match against hosts, Saudi Arabia in the opening game of the World Youth Championship (now U20 World Cup), it was not just the winning goal of the 2-1 score line, it was a milestone, the 500th since the competition began in 1977.
December 8, 1990 – BCC Lions became the third Nigerian club side to win the African Winners Cup as they beat Tunisia’s Club Africaine.
July 25, 1992 – Richard Igbineghu won a silver medal in the Super Heavyweight category of boxing at the Barcelona Olympics. Also, David Izonritei won the silver medal in heavy weight category after losing to Cuba’s Felix Savon in the final.
July 25, 1992 – The Nigerian quartet of Osmond Ezenwa, Oluyemi Kayode, Olapade Adeniken and Davidson Ezinwa won the silver medal in 4x100m Men at the Barcelona Olympics.
July 25, 1992 – The Nigerian quartet of Mary Onyali, Faith Idehen, Christy Opara-Thompson and Beatrice Utondu won the bronze medal in 4x100m Women at the Barcelona Olympics.
November 28, 1992 – Shooting Stars won the inaugural CAF Cup (now Confederations Cup) after beating Uganda’s Nakivibu Vila 3-0 on aggregate at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan.
September 4, 1993 – Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets beat Ghana, 2-1 in the final to win the FIFA Under -17 World Cup in Japan for the second time.
October 8, 1993 – For the first time since debut entry in 1959, Nigeria qualified for the FIFA World Cup final after a 1-1 draw with Algeria in Algiers.
April 10, 1994 – Nigeria were African champions again, after beating Zambia 2-1 in the final match of the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunis, Tunisia.
June 21, 1994 – Nigeria made a good debut in the World Cup, beating Bulgaria 3-0 as Rashidi Yekini became Nigeria’s first scorer at the World Cup.
December 4, 1994 – Bendel Insurance won the CAF Cup ((now Confederations Cup) becoming Nigeria’s second club after Shooting Stars to do so.
July 29, 1996 – Falilat Ogunkoya became Nigeria’s first individual woman Olympic medallist when she won bronze medal in 400 metres at the Atlanta Olympics
August 2, 1996 – Chioma Ajunwa produced an amazing first-round leap of 7.12m to become Nigeria’s first Olympic medallist.
August 3, 1996 – The Nigerian quartet of Falilat Ogunkoya, Fatima Yusuf, Christy Opara and Bisi Afolabi won the silver medal in 4x400m Women at the Atlanta Olympics.
August 3, 1996 – Nigeria won the gold medal in the football event of the Atlanta ’96 Olympics. It was the first time a team outside Europe would do that in 68 years. Nigeria also put an end to Europe’s successive victory. Since Nigeria’s victory, no European team has won the gold medal.
August 4, 1996 – Duncan Dokiwari won a bronze medal in the super heavyweight category of boxing at the Atlanta Olympics.
October 31, 1998 – Nigeria won the inaugural African Women Championship when Super Falcons beat Ghana 2-0 in the final match played at Abeokuta.
September 27, 2000 – Glory Alozie won the silver medal for Nigeria in women’s 100 hurdles at the Sydney Olympics.
September 30, 2000 – Nigeria won the men’s 4×400 relay silver medal at the Sydney Olympics. Years later, the quartet was upgraded to gold medallists after the disqualification of the American team.
September 30, 2000 – Nigeria won the women’s 4×400 relay bronze at the Sydney Olympics.
January 27, 2001 – When Victor Agali scored in the 67th minute to put scores at 2-0 in an eventual 3-0 defeat of Sudan in Port Harcourt, it was Nigeria’s 100th goal in the qualifying series of the World Cup. Nigeria thus became the first African side to hit a century of World Cup qualifying goals.
December 12, 2003 – Nigeria’s Enyimba won CAF Champions League. It is the first time a Nigerian side will do so since the continent’s premier club competition began in 1964. Enyimba went ahead to win the Super Cup for the first time for Nigeria.
January 31, 2004 – When Super Eagles’ skipper scored from the penalty spot against South Africa at the Africa Cup of Nations, it brought score line to 2-0 in an eventual 4-0 triumph. The goal is officially the 1,000th in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations.
August 27, 2004 – Nigeria won the bronze medal in the men’s 4 x 400 relay at the Athens Olympics.
August 28, 2004 – Nigeria won the bronze medal in the men’s 4×100 relay at the Athens Olympics.
December 12, 2004 – Enyimba became the first side to win the Champions’ League back-to-back and the first time a team successfully defend the African title in 36 years.
September 9, 2007 – Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets beat Spain, 3-0 (pens) in the final to win the FIFA Under -17 World Cup in Korea. It was a record setting third win.
March 8, 2008 – Nigeria’s Samuel Peters beat Oleg Maskaev in Cancun, Mexico to become the WBC champion.
August 21, 2008 – Nigeria won the bronze medal in the women’s 4×100 relay at the Beijing Olympics.
August 21, 2008 – Chika Chukwumerije won a bronze for Nigeria in the men’s heavyweight category of taekwondo at the Beijing Olympics.
August 22, 2008 – Blessing Okagbare won a bronze medal for Nigeria in women’s Long jump at the Beijing Olympics.
August 23, 2008 – Nigeria won the silver medal in the men’s football event of Beijing Olympics.
October 1, 2009 – On the occasion of Nigeria’s 49th Independence Day, Daniel Adejo scored the last of a 5-0 defeat of Tahiti at the Cairo International Stadium to pull Nigeria through to the next round of the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The goal was the 1,800th of the competition.
August 1, 2010 – Nigeria’s Falconets emerged the runners-up in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Germany after losing the final match 2-0 to the hosts, Germany. It was the best performance by an African side at the tournament.
February 3, 2013– Nigeria’s Super Eagles fielding largely home-grown players, beat Burkina Faso 1-0 to win the Africa Cup of Nations for the third time.
November 3, 2013– When Golden Eaglet’s Chidera Ezeh scored the third of Sweden’s 3-0 defeat at the U-17 World Cup in UAE, it turned a landmark goal, the 1,700th since the competition began in 1985.
August 30, 2015 – Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, D’Tigers won the Afrobasket for the first time, beating Angola 74-65. Nigeria’s Chamberlain Oguchi also emerged as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
August 20, 2016 – By beating Honduras 3-2 in the third-place match of the football event of the Rio 2016 Olympics, Nigeria became the first football team in the world to win gold, silver and bronze medals of the Olympic football event having won gold in 1996 and silver in 2008.
October 7, 2017 – When Nigeria beat Zambia 1-0 in Uyo to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the Super Eagles extended their unbeaten run in the qualifying series to 34 matches. It was the longest unbeaten streak in Africa and the second in the world after the 59 achieved by Spain. Nigeria’s feat is even more remarkable considering that it is four matches ahead that of Germany, the 2014 World Cup winners.
April 18, 2020 – Former Nigeria badminton player, Obiageli Solaja became the first Nigerian to win the African Women in Badminton Award. The award is conferred by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA).
March 12, 2021 – President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick became the third Nigeria ever to be elected into FIFA Council after Oyo Orok Oyo’s success into the then FIFA Executive Committee in 1980 and of Amos Adamu in 2006.
July 24, 2022 – Tobi Amusan became the first Nigerian to win gold at the World Athletics Championships after racing to a stunning world record time of 12.06s in Women’s 100m hurdles. It was the second time Amusan would break the record on the night, improving on her 12.12s in the semi-final. It was previously set by America’s Kendra Harrison’s at 12.20s.
July 29, 2024 – Nigeria’s basketball women’s team, D’Tigress ended their two-decade wait to experience winning a game at the Olympic Games when they beat Australia 75- 62.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Monday marked the 25th anniversary of his ascension to the throne by announcing major reforms to reshape the kingdom and offer solutions to global problems.
He paid particular attention to the pressing issue of water scarcity in the kingdom while announcing the launch of many economic and development projects as well as social programs to achieve social cohesion and enable citizens to have access to basic services.
One of the major challenges in Morocco is that of water – a challenge which becomes increasingly serious due to drought. For six consecutive years drought has had a great impact on water reserves and groundwater, making the water situation more and more fragile and complex.
The King underscored the urgency of addressing the water crisis and has decided to tackle the challenge head-on.
“In this regard, it is necessary to complete the dam construction program and to give priority to the dams planned in the areas receiving significant rainfall”, the king announced on Monday.”
That will include the acceleration of large-scale projects for inter-basin transfers: especially from the Oued Laou and Loukkos basins to the Oum Er-Rbia basin, through the Sebou and Bouregreg basins.
“This will make it possible to retain one billion cubic meters of water that is being lost to the sea”, King Mohammed VI remarked.
In the global arena, the monarch as the Chairman of the al-Quds Committee, an intergovernmental organization and one of the four standing committees of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, enunciated the efforts he has made in providing solution to the armed conflict in Gaza.
“The keen interest we take in the situation prevailing in the country does not mean we are oblivious of, or insensitive to, the tragedy befalling our Palestinian brothers and sisters.
“As Chairman of the al-Quds Committee, I managed to have an unprecedented route opened up, through which we delivered urgent food and medical aid to our brothers and sisters in Gaza.
“And in keeping with the same spirit of commitment and responsibility, I continue to back constructive initiatives aimed at finding practical solutions, achieving a tangible and permanent ceasefire, and addressing the humanitarian situation.
“The deteriorating conditions in the region require going beyond the logic of crisis management and seeking, instead, a final solution to this conflict, based on the following:
“First: If putting an end to the war in Gaza is an urgent priority, then this must be achieved concurrently with opening up political prospects conducive to a just and lasting peace in the region;
“Second: Opting for negotiations to revive the peace process between the Palestinian and Israeli sides requires cutting off the path for extremists – from whatever side they may come;
“Third: Achieving complete security and stability in the region can be realized only within the framework of the two-state solution, with Gaza an integral part of the territory of the independent Palestinian state, and East Jerusalem its capital.”
NFF Communication director unfolds 20 Points of a 20-hour ordeal on Libyan soil
African football legends, Adebayor and Aubameyang condemn Libya’s treatment of Super Eagles
BREAKING! CAF wades into the Libya-Nigeria Airport episode
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
AIU releases its report on Tobi Amusan
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Players boycott Libyan national team
-
AFCON5 days ago
Billiat’s penalty seals Zimbabwe’s 1-0 win over Namibia
-
AFCON1 week ago
Eguavoen unfolds Super Eagles’ squad for back-to-back duel with Libya
-
AFCON7 days ago
Facts & Figures as AFCON 2025 qualifiers enter Matchday 3
-
AFCON6 days ago
AFCON 2025 in Morocco: Everything you need to know
-
AFCON5 days ago
Libya’s captain, Faisal Al-Badri alleges poor treatment in Nigeria
-
Uncategorized7 days ago
CAF compels Kwasi Appiah to step down from Ghana FA
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Fastest World Cup final scorer is dead!