Russian President, Vladimir Putin has proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine to end the ongoing conflict but made no mention of a 30-day ceasefire plan supported by European leaders and the United States.
Speaking from the Kremlin early Sunday, Putin suggested that talks resume in Istanbul on May 15, saying, “We propose to the Kyiv authorities to resume the talks that they broke off in 2022, and, I emphasise, without any preconditions.”
Russia and Ukraine previously held negotiations in Istanbul during the early stages of the war, but those talks failed to produce a truce. Putin added that he would speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to seek support in facilitating the new round of talks.
“I am committed to serious negotiations with Ukraine,” he said, stressing the need to address what he described as the “root causes” of the war — grievances often linked to Russia’s long-standing objections to Ukraine’s Western alignment.
While expressing openness to a new ceasefire agreement during the proposed talks, Putin sharply criticized what he called Western “ultimatums” and “anti-Russian rhetoric.” He did not directly acknowledge the ceasefire proposal presented just hours earlier by Ukraine and the leaders of France, Germany, Britain, and Poland.
The European leaders, joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, had urged Moscow to accept a 30-day unconditional ceasefire starting Monday, warning of additional sanctions if Russia failed to comply.
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking during his return from Ukraine, cautioned that Putin’s offer could be a tactic to “buy time.” He emphasized that “an unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations, by definition.”
The ceasefire initiative has gained broad international backing. “We have just now… decided to support a ceasefire which will begin next Monday, without any preconditions,” Macron said during a press conference in Kyiv. The announcement followed a joint meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The leaders also held a video conference with counterparts from around 20 other nations in the pro-Ukraine coalition. In the event of a ceasefire violation, Macron warned that “massive sanctions” were being coordinated between the U.S. and Europe.
U.S. President Donald Trump responded on his Truth Social platform, calling it “a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine” and promised to continue working with both sides. Though previously criticized for his stance toward Moscow, Trump has recently expressed frustration with the war’s prolonged nature and signaled impatience with Putin.
British Prime Minister Starmer echoed the growing alignment among Western powers, saying the Kyiv talks showed “absolute unity across a whole range of countries around the world, including the United States.”
Polish Prime Minister Tusk described the atmosphere as a turning point, adding, “For the first time in a long time we had a feeling that the whole free world is truly united.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also backed the proposed truce, calling for its unconditional implementation as a pathway to meaningful peace negotiations.
Meanwhile, the symbolic display of unity came just one day after Putin presided over a military parade in Moscow marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany. He had previously declared a unilateral three-day ceasefire for the event, though reports from Ukrainian forces suggested fighting continued at normal intensity during that period.
