Ukraine war latest: Putin 'trying to sabotage' ceasefire - as Russian leader heaps more praise on Trump (2025)

As pressure continues to mount on Vladimir Putin to accept a ceasefire deal, there's one key figure that's credited with being the architect of the peace plan and the bridge between the Trump administration, Europe and Ukraine.

Sir Keir Starmer appointed Jonathan Powell to be his national security adviser at one of the most critical points in European security since the Cold War.

He has spent years at the heart of government, helping to broker the peace deal in Northern Ireland and more recently the controversial Chagos deal.

On this episode of the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson looks at the key role Powell is playing inworking towards a lasting peace deal with political correspondent Rob Powell, and former national security adviser Lord Peter Ricketts.

You can alsofollow the podcast here, so you never miss an episode.

Donald Trump "doesn't do plans" and that won't be any different as he tries to negotiate peace, his former national security adviser John Bolton has said.

"What we're seeing now is Vladimir Putin manoeuvring to get to the point where he has a one-on-one phone conversation with Trump," he told our presenter Jonathan Samuels.

Asked whether he thinks Russia's president is manipulating Trump, Bolton said: "I think so.

"If you look at the American position on the war, the only regret in the Kremlin is they didn't ask for more."

He said that leaves Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a "difficult place" to have the US negotiate with him and then separately negotiate with Russia.

But when asked whether Trump could be hiding a plan that we're all unaware of as he tries to secure peace, Bolton said: "No, of course not.

"He doesn't do plans. He thinks relations between states are the real equivalent of the personal relationships between the leaders."

Bolton added that while Trump is looking forward to his call with Putin, he explained "that's not Putin's view" and that the Russian president views Trump as an "easy mark".

Earlier, we brought you comments from US secretary of state Marco Rubio who was speaking about the ceasefire deal from the G7 meeting in Canada.

Watch what we had to say below...

Vladimir Putin believes it is impossible to accept the ceasefire right now despite knowing Donald Trump "will not wait forever," a former Russian deputy foreign minister has said.

Speaking to our presenter Jonathan Samuels, Andrey Fedorov said: "For Putin to make this step, to accept this proposal, it is only possible if some of the conditions will be fulfilled.

"Yesterday, Steve Witkoff received a list of questions without answering them. Any move forward is not possible, of course it will take time."

Fedorov said Putin can't have a ceasefire right away after the Russian president said he still had "lots of questions" yesterday.

When asked to outline Putin's main demands for ending the war, Fedorov said Russia's president wants guarantees for "lasting peace" and is demanding that during the ceasefire, all weapon deliveries to Ukraine are stopped.

But Fedorov described this demand as "very hard to realise".

We've now heard from French president Emmanuel Macron, who said he had spoken to Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Sir Keir Starmer today to discuss the ceasefire proposal.

In an online post, Macron followed in the footsteps of Ukraine's allies calling on Russia to accept the proposal, saying "Russian aggression in Ukraine must end".

He also said there must also be a stop to "delaying tactics" - something Vladimir Putin has been accused of after saying there were "nuances" and "lots of questions" remaining over a deal yesterday.

In contrast with Trump, Macron's comments echo those of Zelenskyy (see 16.38 post).

The French president will join a virtual meeting of world leaders tomorrow, hosted by Starmer, aimed at building on the "coalition of the willing" - the countries which have pledged their support to Ukraine.

Throughout the day, we've been keeping you across what the US and Russia have been saying about Kursk as Ukraine continues to lose its foothold in the region.

Echoing Vladimir Putin's claims, Donald Trump said "thousands" of Ukrainian troops were being cut off - something that was disputed by our security and defence analyst Michael Clarke (see 2.15pm post).

He also called on Putin to spare the lives of the Ukrainian troops, something Russia's president has said he will only do if Ukraine gives orders to surrender.

Ukraine has also rejected the claims, with a number of analysts suggesting the picture being presented by Putin - and, in turn, Trump - is not entirely accurate.

Ukrainians are in some difficulty in some places, Oliver Carroll, foreign correspondent at The Economist has said.

"Some small groups are in Russian pockets," he wrote in a post on X, but says their number is "not 1000s".

He explains it is in part because troops are being withdrawn in a staggered way in an attempt not to open up the Sumy region to a Russian offensive.

"Some can't retreat on vehicles, so are going on foot," he added.

While US secretary of state Marco Rubio was addressing the media at the G7 meeting in Canada, Vladimir Putin has also been speaking.

He says the situation is starting to move following talks with Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, adding "let's see what comes of it".

And in a continuation of his policy of flattery towards Trump, Putin said: "We know that the new administration headed by President Trump is doing everything to restore at least something of what was basically destroyed by the previous US administration."

Putin also addressed Trump's request to spare the lives of Ukrainian troops (see 1.40pm post).

In a post on Truth Social, the US president said: "I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared.

"This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II."

Responding to Trump's comments, Putin called on Ukrainian authorities to give an order for their soldiers to surrender.

He says in the case that they surrender, Russia will guarantee their lives will be saved.

As previously noted, Ukraine has said claims its troops are surrounded in Kursk are untrue - and neither Putin nor Trump have offered any evidence to support their claim that large numbers have been encircled by Russian forces.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he sees a "good chance" to end the war with Russia.

The Ukrainian president repeated his assertion that Vladimir Putin would try to drag the ceasefire proposal into endless discussions, and urged the US and Kyiv's other allies to apply pressure on Russia.

In a similar vein, a Ukrainian government source has told Sky News: "The Americans offered an unconditional ceasefire for 30 days, and we agreed to it.

"So there should be a mirror agreement from Russia's side. What Putin said publicly yesterday and what we heard Putin said to American side are additional conditions to Ukraine for a ceasefire, in particular, stop recruitment into the army, stop supply of defence aid.

"Any attempt to add conditions for ceasefire we see as an attempt by Russia to drag things on."

'We don't want to play games with war', Zelenskyy says

The Ukrainian president also repeated his call for pressure to be ramped up on Russia to force Putin into ending the war, adding Ukraine was "ready to act quickly and constructively".

Referring to Putin's non-committal answers on the ceasefire, Zelenskyy said: "We don't want to play games with war".

He also hit out at Russia's president for "lying" about the situation on the battlefield and the state of the Russian economy.

"Putin cannot exit this war because that would leave him with nothing," he said.

"That is why he is now doing everything he can to sabotage diplomacy by setting extremely difficult and unacceptable conditions right from the start, even before a ceasefire."

Zelenskyy added: "Pressure must be applied to the one who does not want to stop the war. Pressure must be put on Russia. Only decisive actions can end this war, which has already lasted for years...

"Putin will not end the war on his own. But the strength of America is enough to make it happen."

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has been speaking at the G7 meeting in Canada.

He said there was a "positive interaction" between White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin, who met in Moscow yesterday.

He said that once Witkoff returned, the team would examine the Russian position more closely and Donald Trump "will determine the next steps".

"I think there's reason to be cautiously optimistic," he said.

"But by the same token, we continue to recognise this is a difficult and complex situation."

Asked if he trusts Putin, Rubio markedly declines to answer directly, saying he thinks that is "an irrelevant question".

"Foreign policy is not about trusting, it's about actions," he says.

"In the end, on something like this, you can't just say you want peace, you have to do peace, and that's true for both sides in any conflict."

But Rubio did say both sides will have to make concessions in their talks to end the war in Ukraine.

"That'll have to be part of the negotiation, but it's not going to be helpful to enter into those negotiations making blanket statements that may give an excuse for one side or the other not to participate in it," he added.