Vladimir Putin has demanded that all arms supplies to Ukraine be suspended for the duration of the ceasefire proposed by US President Donald Trump, according to Bloomberg. RBC-Ukraine informs.
Putin and Trump are scheduled to speak by phone on March 18, with the key topic being a 30-day ceasefire that Kyiv is ready to accept.
Putin, who met with Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff last week, has made a halt to arms shipments a precondition for signing a cease-fire agreement, according to a senior European official and three people in Moscow familiar with Russia's position.
While Russia wants to stop all arms shipments to Ukraine, the minimum goal is to cut off US aid, according to two people in Moscow informed about the Kremlin's plans.
A senior European official added that Europe is extremely reluctant to accept Russia's demand that it block arms shipments to Ukraine during any ceasefire. Such an outcome risks creating a situation where Russia can rearm during the cessation of hostilities while Ukraine cannot, the official said.
The United Kingdom and the European Union are working to deliver new military aid packages to Kyiv as soon as possible.
According to one of the sources in Moscow, the suspension of arms supplies sought by Putin will be temporary, and arms deliveries will resume after a peace agreement is concluded in which Ukraine must agree to limit its military capabilities.
Ceasefire
The US and Ukraine announced a ceasefire plan last week after a day of talks in Saudi Arabia. The Trump administration also announced that it was lifting a roughly week-long ban on arms sales and intelligence sharing that it had imposed to pressure Ukraine into agreeing to diplomatic efforts.
The Trump administration has in fact already caved in to Russian demands to maintain control over occupied Ukrainian territory and to abandon Kyiv's ambitions to join NATO. This has heightened European fears that any deal the US president strikes with Putin will weaken Ukraine and make it vulnerable to Russia in the future.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has increased domestic arms production from 10% to more than 30% of its needs but still relies on other countries for more advanced weapons. Currently, Europe provides about 30% of Ukraine's military needs, while the United States provides 40%.
Besides the ceasefire, Putin-Trump's phone call will also address the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, which has been occupied by Russia since the beginning of the war.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the power plant, which is located deep inside southeastern Ukraine, is “on the border” between Russia and Ukraine. This sparked speculation about possible territorial concessions to Russia as part of the peace process.
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