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Putin Proposes Direct Peace Talks with Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin Proposes Direct Peace Talks with Ukraine next Thursday. The negotiations are to take place in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul, Putin told journalists in Moscow in the middle of the night. The talks, he said, should aim to “eliminate the root causes of the conflict and achieve a lasting peace.”

Putin accuses Ukraine of breaking off negotiations in 2022. ” It was not Russia that broke off the negotiations in 2022, but Kyiv. Nevertheless, we propose to Kyiv to resume direct negotiations without preconditions ,” Putin said.

Previously, several Western states had demanded a 30-day ceasefire from Putin starting Monday, threatening new sanctions if it wasn’t. The Kremlin wanted to ” examine ” the proposal—Putin hadn’t commented directly on the matter.

Putin for direct negotiations with Ukraine

It’s a glimmer of hope for the people of Ukraine: Russian President Putin Proposes Direct Peace Talks with the government in Kyiv. The talks could begin on May 15 in Istanbul, he said at a press conference.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine. He suggested the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul as the venue for the talks. The talks could begin as early as May 15, Putin said—which would be next Thursday.

He now wants to discuss this with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He hopes that Erdoğan will confirm his willingness to contribute to a peaceful solution to the conflict with Ukraine. The Turkish president has previously described his country as an ideal place for possible peace negotiations.

It is up to Ukraine whether it agrees to the proposal for negotiations, Putin continued. The Kremlin chief is responding to an initiative by Ukraine, together with Germany, France, Poland, and Great Britain. The heads of state and government of the five countries met in Kyiv and discussed the next steps.

“Serious negotiations without preconditions”

Russia is ready for “serious negotiations without preconditions” and proposes to begin them “as early as next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul,” the Russian president told journalists in the Kremlin. “Those who truly want peace cannot oppose them.”

“We do not rule out that we can agree on a new ceasefire in these talks,” he added, without directly mentioning the previous call by Ukraine and its European backers to Russia for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire starting Monday.

Putin Proposes Direct Peace Talks: Putin blames Ukraine for broken negotiations

Russia wants these talks to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and achieve the restoration of a long-term, lasting peace, Putin said. “It wasn’t Russia that broke off the negotiations in 2022. It was Kyiv.” Nevertheless, Moscow is proposing to Kyiv that direct negotiations be resumed, Putin added.

He referred to failed talks shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. “Our proposal is on the table, the decision now lies with the Ukrainian authorities and their curators, who, it seems, are guided by their personal political ambitions rather than the interests of their people.”

Ukraine calls for 30-day ceasefire

There was initially no reaction from Kyiv to Putin’s counterproposal overnight. Ukraine had previously offered a 30-day ceasefire. “Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete, unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting Monday,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha wrote on the X platform.

Western heads of state and government also called on Moscow to agree to the ceasefire – and threatened new sanctions in case of rejection. They had previously discussed the initiative with US President Donald Trump and other countries of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing.”

Putin rejects unconditional ceasefire and offers new talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin ignores the call for a 30-day ceasefire. He offers to resume negotiations with Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected a 30-day ceasefire demanded by Ukraine and Western allies. At the same time, he proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine in the Turkish city of Istanbul on May 15. He announced that he would hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on this matter soon.

Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European heads of state and government had issued Russia an ultimatum . Putin must agree to a ceasefire starting Monday without preconditions, or face new sanctions. Putin did not directly address the demand in his statement. His spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, had previously stated that the Russian leadership would consider the matter. 

On Russian state television, Peskov expressed a more negative tone, saying they would not be intimidated and had already become accustomed to the punitive measures. “We are even already imagining what we will do after these sanctions are imposed, how we will minimize their consequences,” he said. “Frightening us with sanctions is pointless.” The deputy head of the Russian National Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, had clearly rejected the ceasefire.

“Russia is ready for serious negotiations without preconditions,” Putin told reporters in the Kremlin. “We do not rule out the possibility of agreeing on a new ceasefire in these talks.”

Negotiations in Istanbul

As early as 2022, Ukrainian and Russian delegations had negotiated a possible solution to the war in Istanbul. The talks were considered to be well advanced, but did not lead to a conclusion. Above all, one key question remained unanswered: Western security guarantees for Ukraine to protect it from further Russian attacks in the long term.

A three-day ceasefire announced by Russia expired on Sunday. Both sides had repeatedly accused each other of violating the agreement. Zelenskyy accused Putin of merely faking the ceasefire, saying it served the sole purpose of celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

On May 15 in Istanbul: Putin proposes direct talks with Kyiv

Russia has not responded to an ultimatum from Ukraine and its supporters for a 30-day ceasefire. Instead, Kremlin leader Putin has made a counterproposal to Kyiv. Negotiations could begin in Istanbul as early as Thursday. There should be no preconditions.

Kremlin President Vladimir Putin has proposed direct talks between Russia and Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul. Russia is ready for “serious negotiations without preconditions” and proposes to begin them “as early as next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul,” the Russian president told journalists in the Kremlin on Sunday. The talks should aim to “eliminate the root causes of the conflict,” Putin added, not ruling out “the possibility that we may agree on a new ceasefire in these talks.”

Ukraine and its European backers, with the support of US President Donald Trump, had previously called on Russia for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire starting Monday, threatening “massive” new sanctions if it were not agreed. Putin did not directly mention the call in his late-night remarks.

Referring to the failed talks shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Putin said, “It was not Russia that broke off negotiations in 2022. It was Kyiv,” adding, “Our proposal is on the table; the decision now rests with the Ukrainian authorities and their curators, who, it seems, are guided by their personal political ambitions rather than the interests of their people.” He said he would speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the coming hours.

Peskov: “Pointless to put pressure on Moscow”

Previously, a three-day ceasefire declared by Russia in Ukraine had ended. Putin unilaterally ordered a three-day ceasefire in light of the commemoration of the end of the war in Moscow, which came into effect at midnight on Thursday night. Ukraine did not agree to the ceasefire and is demanding a 30-day ceasefire. A US proposal also calls for a 30-day ceasefire. Putin accused the Ukrainian side of sabotaging several attempts at a ceasefire. At the same time, he did not completely rule out an extension of the three-day ceasefire to May 9.

The Kremlin announced on Saturday that it would consider the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. According to Russian state media, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin wanted to “reflect” on the demand put forward by Kyiv’s Western allies. Peskov commented on the “new development” on the US television network CNN, but also pointed out that it was “pointless” to “put pressure” on Moscow.

Just over three years ago, Russia invaded Ukraine and controls a good fifth of Ukrainian territory, including the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

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Sources used:

• With material from the News agencies  dpa and AFP, ntv.de, Reuters news agency, BBC News and CNN reports. The content has been independently analyzed and rewritten to provide original insights.