Putin proposes direct peace talks with Ukraine, Zelenskyy insists on ceasefire before negotiations

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed holding direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15 without any preconditions, a move welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who insisted that Moscow must agree to a ceasefire first.

Putin said talks are intended to “eliminate the root causes of the conflict” and “reach the establishment of a long-term, durable peace.”

“We would like to start talks immediately, already next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul, where they were held before and where they were interrupted,” Putin said in an address.

He emphasised the talks should be held “without any preconditions.”

Putin’s address came just hours after the leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland stood alongside Zelenskyy in Kiev and urged Putin to agree to a 30-day ceasefire starting on Monday or face possible “massive sanctions.”

Root causes are generally understood to cover a range of Russian grievances, from NATO’s expansion eastwards to the size of Ukraine’s military, according to reports.

Putin reminded that after the beginning of Russia’s special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine, the representatives of Russia and Ukraine had met for several rounds of talks in Belarus and, after advanced negotiations in Istanbul facilitated by Turkey, they finalised a joint agreement in 2022. However, after the visit of former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, this draft was trashed.

Putin categorically rejected the demand for an immediate 30-day ceasefire.

Citing a bad record of Kiev in observing ceasefire and truces, Putin accused Ukraine of not honouring a 30-day moratorium on attacks on the energy infrastructure brokered by US President Donald Trump, as well as the Easter truce.

Reacting to Putin's offer, Zelenskyy reiterated the precondition of a full, lasting, and reliable ceasefire starting May 12.

"It is a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war. The entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time. And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire," Zelenskyy posted on X.

"There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day. We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire – full, lasting, and reliable – starting tomorrow, May 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet," he said.

For two months now, Ukraine has said it wants an immediate 30-day ceasefire. But Russia has so far refused to commit, saying it supports the idea of a pause in principle, but insists there are what it calls “nuances” that need addressing first.

The Kremlin argues that Ukraine and its European “handlers” will use the 30-day ceasefire without agreed-upon “nuances” to replenish human and hardware to resume military operations against Russia, which has an upper hand on the battlefield.

“This will be a trap for Russia, and Ukraine will rearm to continue the war with the help of its Western backers,” Senator Alexi Pushkov was quoted as saying by the state-run VestiFM.

US President Trump welcomed Putin’s offer of direct talks.

"A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine! Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never-ending “bloodbath” hopefully comes to an end," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"It will be a whole new, and much better, WORLD. I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens. The USA wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!" he wrote.