(NewsNation) — A former U.S. ambassador to Georgia is joining a growing chorus of ex-diplomats who express doubts Russian President Vladimir Putin is seriously interested in a ceasefire with Ukraine.
Ian Kelly was the top U.S. diplomat in Georgia after Russia invaded the neighboring country in 2008.
Putin on Thursday expressed support for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine, but he hedged by saying any peace deal must address “root causes” of the conflict. Critics in the West have said Putin’s ambitions are the underlying cause of the invasion.
“He doesn’t want a ceasefire,” Kelly said of Putin on “NewsNation Now.” “He thinks he’s winning on the battlefield now, and he thinks he’s winning, politically, believing that the U.S. has moved away from standing by NATO, from supplying weapons to Ukraine.”
The Trump administration is trying to broker a ceasefire that will lead to a permanent peace between Russia and Ukraine.
