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.

“We agree with the proposals to cease hostilities,” Mr.Putin told reporters yesterday at a news conference at the Kremlin. “The idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it. But we proceed from the fact that this cessation should be such that it would lead to long-term peace and would eliminate the original causes of this crisis.”