Putin proposes to resume direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, which ended at the end of 2022.
He said this at a press conference on the night of May 11.
The Kremlin leader wants to do this “without any preconditions”, starting with a meeting on Thursday, May 15, in the Turkish capital, Istanbul. Putin added that he would approach the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with the proposal.
Putin noted that Moscow is “tuned for serious negotiations with Ukraine”.. According to the Kremlin, the purpose of the meetings is to eliminate “the root causes of the conflict” and “establish a long-term, lasting peace for the historical perspective”.
The Russian leader suggested that during the new talks, a ceasefire could be agreed upon, and now “the decision is up to the Ukrainian authorities”. He accused Kyiv of breaking previous agreements. Putin did not mention the 30-day ceasefire that was supposed to come into effect on May 12.
Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the Russian leaderʼs proposal. The Ukrainian president called it a "good sign" that the Russians were thinking about ending the war. According to him, a ceasefire is the very first step in the real end of any armed conflict.
"There is no point in continuing the killings even for a day. We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire — complete, lasting, and reliable — starting tomorrow, May 12, and Ukraine is ready to meet," Zelensky says.
New proposal for a 30-day ceasefire
On May 10, a meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing” took place in Kyiv, attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, British and Polish Prime Ministers Keir Starmer and Donald Tusk, and new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. More than 30 leaders joined online.
Following the conversation, Volodymyr Zelensky said that a complete ceasefire with the Russian Federation should begin on May 12 for at least 30 days. Ukraine and its partners demand this. According to him, the ceasefire should be comprehensive, that is, in the air, at sea, and on land, and monitoring can be ensured together with the United States.
Axios writes: Ukraine is ready for direct talks with Russia if it agrees to a 30-day ceasefire. This is what Zelensky and European leaders told Trump during a call today.
President Zelensky stressed that if Russia does not agree to a full and unconditional ceasefire, tougher sanctions should be imposed on its energy sector and banking system. He also added that the 17th package of EU sanctions is currently being prepared and coordinated with the UK, Norway and the US. This was confirmed by other foreign leaders present.
Ceasefire negotiations
Washington is negotiating with Russia and Ukraine to end the war, but a true ceasefire is still in sight. Kyiv has already agreed to halt hostilities in the Black Sea and not attack Russian energy facilities during a 30-day truce. Moscow, in return, has only promised not to attack energy facilities and said it would implement agreements on the Black Sea only after Western sanctions are lifted.
The US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose sweeping sanctions on Russia, including banking sanctions and new tariffs, unless there is a ceasefire and a peace deal with Ukraine. But he has not done so. But in recent weeks, the US rhetoric towards Russia has begun to intensify.
Thus, Trump, when asked by a journalist about Russiaʼs concessions in the context of a peace agreement, stated that Russia would have to give up all of Ukraine.
"Russia will have to give up all of Ukraine. Because Russia wants all of Ukraine. And if I hadnʼt intervened, they would have continued to fight for all of Ukraine right now. Russia doesnʼt just need the piece it has now — it needs all of Ukraine," the US president said.
The US Vice President J.D. Vance said that Russia is demanding "too much" during peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.
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