Putin says he agrees in principle with US proposal for 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine
Moscow, Mar 13 (AP): Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he agrees in principle with a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, but the terms need to be worked out, and he emphasised that it should pave the way to lasting peace.
“So the idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it," Putin told a news conference in Moscow. “But there are issues that we need to discuss, and I think that we need to discuss it with our American colleagues and partners.”
He noted the need to develop a mechanism to control possible breaches of the truce. Another issue, he said, is whether Ukraine could use the 30-day ceasefire to continue mobilization and rearmament.
“We agree with the proposals to halt the fighting, but we proceed from the assumption that the ceasefire should lead to lasting peace and remove the root causes of the crisis,” Putin said.
Putin noted that while it appeared that the US persuaded Ukraine to accept a ceasefire, Ukraine is interested in that because of the battlefield situation, noting that Ukrainian troops that launched an incursion into Russia's Kursk region would be fully blocked in the coming days.
“In these conditions, I believe it would be good for the Ukrainian side to secure a ceasefire for at least 30 days,” he said.
Referring to the Ukrainian troops in Kursk, he said: “Will all those who are there come out without a fight?"
Putin thanked US President Donald Trump “for paying so much attention to the settlement in Ukraine.”
He also thanked the leaders of China, India, Brazil and South Africa for their “noble mission to end the fighting to casualties,” a statement that signalled those countries' potential involvement in a ceasefire deal.
Russia has said it will not accept peacekeepers from any NATO members to monitor a prospective truce.
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SC judges to make their assets public, amid row over cash at Justice Yashwant Varma’s house: Report
New Delhi: The Supreme Court judges have reportedly agreed to disclose their assets to the public by publishing the same on the top court's website.
The decision was taken recently at a full court meeting and a resolution in this regard was adopted which will apply to future judges as well, as reported by Bar and Bench on Thursday.
A copy of the resolution is yet to be made public.
According to the report, the decision was taken in the wake of recent controversies surrounding opacity in the functioning of the judiciary, especially after a huge pile of cash was allegedly discovered at the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma, currently a judge of the Allahabad High Court.
The publication of assets on website was not mandatory earlier but was discretionary subject to whether an individual judge wanted to do the same, the report added.
