Welcome to the News Hour. Russian President Vladimir Putin today responded to a U.S. Ukraine offer for a temporary ceasefire with his own demands and questions about what a 30-day pause in the war would mean for his long-term ambitions in Ukraine and Europe. Putin is meeting with President Trump's envoy as Ukraine says that Putin's words show he is

not ready for peace.

Nick Schifrin begins our coverage.

Tonight, a high-stakes negotiation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S.

envoy Steve Whitkoff, after Putin today said a ceasefire must answer his demands. We agree with the proposals to stop the fighting, but we believe this cessation should

be one that would lead to long-term peace and eliminate the initial causes of this crisis.

The Kremlin has long translated initial causes as the presence of U.S. and NATO troops in Eastern

Europe.

Congressional officials tell PBS NewsHour the Trump administration had already been considering

reducing U.S. troops in Europe.

The Kremlin has also demanded Ukraine refuse NATO weapons, cap its military size and abandon

NATO membership.

Those are red lines for Ukraine.

But the Trump administration appears willing, at the very least, to block Ukraine's

NATO ambitions.

Today, Putin also disparaged the very idea of a temporary pause.

How will these 30 days be used for Ukraine to continue forced mobilization so that the mobilized

units are trained?

How can we be guaranteed that nothing like this happens?

Today, Russian troops regain the largest town in the Russian region of Kursk, parts of which

have been occupied by Ukraine since last summer. Putin said any ceasefire would first have to answer Kursk, parts of which have been occupied by Ukraine since last summer.

Putin said any ceasefire would first have to answer Kursk's fate.

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