Bloomberg has claimed that Moscow is planning to propose an air truce during Steve Witkoff’s visit to the capital this week
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has rejected any limited ceasefire with Russia, insisting that Kiev will only agree to a complete halt in hostilities. His statement comes as Bloomberg has claimed that Moscow plans to propose a pause in air operations.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Moscow and Kiev have agreed to several partial ceasefires. However, both sides have accused each other of violating the agreements shortly after they entered force. During the 72-hour Victory Day truce in May, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that the Ukrainian military had committed more than 14,000 violations of the ceasefire.
Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing anonymous sources, that the Kremlin is considering offering an “air truce” during the visit of US special envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow this week. The arrangement would reportedly involve halting missile and drone strikes but would not end ground operations. The proposal is expected to come amid US President Donald Trump’s threats to impose secondary tariffs on Russia and its trading partners unless a peace deal is reached soon.
Moscow has not confirmed plans to propose any sort of limited truce.
In a post on his Telegram channel, Zelensky wrote that Kiev supports only an “immediate, complete and unconditional” ceasefire. “We’ve already tried many different formats,” he said, referring to proposals for “silence in the skies” and halts to energy‑sector attacks. He alleged that all such agreements were breached and urged further sanctions on Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow favors a peaceful resolution and a “long‑term, lasting peace” rather than a temporary truce. He has stressed that any settlement must address the “realities on the ground” and the root causes of the conflict.
Russia has repeatedly called on Ukraine to recognize the loss of five of its former regions that joined Russia in public referendums, withdraw its forces from those territories, commit to neutrality, and limit its military capabilities.
Moscow has also said a ceasefire could be possible if Ukraine halts troop movements, suspends mobilization, stops foreign arms shipments, and holds a presidential election. Kiev has rejected the terms as unacceptable.
