Russian President Putin quietly signals he is open to a ceasefire in Ukraine: Report

Russian President Putin

's confidence seems to know no bounds. Buoyed by Ukraine's failed counteroffensive and flagging Western support, Putin says Russia's war goals have not changed. Addressing his generals Tuesday, he boasted that Ukraine was so beleaguered that

Russia's invading troops

were doing "what we want." "We won't give up what's ours," he pledged, adding dismissively, "If they want to negotiate, let them negotiate." But in a recent push of back-channel diplomacy, Putin has been sending a different message: He is ready to make a deal.

Putin has been signalling through intermediaries since at least September that he is open to a ceasefire that freezes the fighting along the current lines, far short of his ambitions to dominate Ukraine, officials in the know say.
In fact, Putin also sent out feelers for a ceasefire deal in the fall of 2022, according to US officials. That quiet overture, not previously reported, came after Ukraine routed Russia's army in the country's northeast.
Putin's repeated interest in a ceasefire is an example of how opportunism and improvisation have defined his approach to the war behind closed doors. Interviews with Russians who have long known him and with international officials with insight into the Kremlin's inner workings show a leader maneuvering to reduce risks and keep his options open in a war that has lasted longer than he expected.

There is no evidence Ukraine, which has pledged to retake all their territory, will accept a deal. US officials say it could be a familiar Kremlin attempt at misdirection and does not reflect genuine willingness by Putin to compromise.
Putin, the current and former officials said, sees a confluence of factors creating an opportune moment for a deal: a battlefield that seems stuck in a stalemate, the fallout over Ukraine's disappointing offensive, its flagging support in the West, and, the distraction of the Israel-Hamas war.

Asked whether Russia was ready for a ceasefire, Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov pointed to the president's recent comments; Putin said this month that Russia's war goals had not changed.