Yes, but. That is President Putin’s response, delivered yesterday, to the Trump Administration’s 30-day ceasefire approved Tuesday by Ukraine. In a delicate balancing act, Russia’s leader seeks to preserve his relationship with the American president — while he sets the stage for drawn out talks that could lead nowhere.

The remarks by the Russian leader suggested he wanted to draw out negotiations or make a truce impossible. Ukraine’s leader called the response to a cease-fire plan “manipulative.”