Less than 24 hours after announcing his 30-day ceasefire proposal between Russia and Ukraine, US president Donald Trump promised that his negotiators would go to Moscow "right now." "The ball is now in Russia's court," insisted US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who urged them to accept the military truce "unconditionally."

Vladimir Putin was not quick to respond. "Let us not get ahead of ourselves," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov retorted to journalists pressing him with questions about the Russian reaction. He confined himself to saying that contacts with the Americans are planned in the next few days and that the Kremlin is awaiting "full information" on the ceasefire offer. The Kremlin said on Thursday that US negotiators were on their way to Russia.

Between mistrust and skepticism, Moscow remains reluctant to give a clear answer for the time being. "In the eyes of the authorities, the offer is perceived as unintentionally anti-Russian. But they are reluctant to reject it," a former Kremlin figure who has remained close to the government told Le Monde, requesting anonymity. "A 30-day ceasefire without any guarantees is clearly advantageous for Kyiv and disadvantageous for Moscow. Because right now, on the front, the Ukrainian army is retreating in the face of Russian troop advances. If Putin accepts a truce today without guarantees that NATO will not expand and that there will be no NATO troops on the ground, his current position of strength will immediately turn into one of weakness."

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