On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested initiating direct discussions with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, just hours after leaders from Kyiv and Europe urged for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting Monday.
During a meeting in Kyiv on Saturday, the leaders of Ukraine, the UK, France, Germany, and Poland warned Moscow of impending sanctions and military assistance for Ukraine if Russia did not accept the proposal.
In his statement, which was made shortly after 1:00 a.m. at the Kremlin, Putin did not directly respond to that request but instead proposed a revival of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
“We invite the authorities in Kyiv to recommence the dialogue that they suspended in 2022, and I stress, without any preconditions,” said Putin.
Initial negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian representatives took place in Istanbul in the early days of the conflict, but those talks failed to yield an agreement to cease hostilities, which have continued since then.
“We propose to commence [negotiations] promptly on Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul,” Putin indicated, mentioning that he would reach out to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shortly to request assistance in facilitating these discussions.
Putin expressed his commitment to engaging in substantial negotiations with Ukraine, aiming to “address the fundamental causes of the conflict and to establish lasting peace.”
Russia often cites the “root causes” of the conflict, which include grievances against Kyiv and the West that Moscow claims justify its military actions initiated in February 2022. Among these are assertions of the need to “de-Nazify” Ukraine, safeguard Russian speakers in the east, counter NATO’s expansion, and halt Ukraine’s shift toward the West.
Kyiv and Western leaders have dismissed these justifications, insisting that Russia’s military action is merely an imperial land grab.
Since the beginning of the war, tens of thousands have lost their lives, and millions have been displaced from their homes.
Putin remarked, “We do not rule out that we could agree on a new ceasefire during these discussions.” He further accused Ukraine’s Western allies of seeking to prolong the conflict with Russia and criticized European “ultimatums” and “anti-Russian rhetoric” without specifically mentioning the proposed 30-day ceasefire.
Following Putin’s comments, U.S. President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform, expressing optimism without clarifying his statement, and pledged to collaborate with both parties to ensure progress.
However, French President Emmanuel Macron, who had only hours earlier met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Kyiv to demonstrate solidarity with Ukraine, cautioned that Putin’s actions seemed aimed at “buying time.”
“An unconditional ceasefire does not come before negotiations,” he stated to reporters upon his arrival in Poland from Ukraine.
During the Kyiv meeting, European leaders, along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, had urged Russia to accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire beginning on Monday, warning of new sanctions if Russia did not comply.
The proposal has garnered support from the United States and other nations, as Macron confirmed at a press conference in Kyiv, asserting, “We have just agreed to back a ceasefire starting next Monday, without any preconditions.”
The leaders also conducted a video conference with their counterparts from approximately 20 other member countries of the “coalition of the willing” that supports Ukraine.
Macron mentioned that “should this ceasefire be violated, we have agreed to prepare and coordinate significant sanctions between Europeans and Americans.”
The United States and Ukraine have pursued a similar ceasefire initiative for weeks, which Russia has yet to accept.
Trump had threatened to leave discussions due to stagnation on resolving the conflict while promising during his election campaign to end the war swiftly after taking office.
Kyiv and its allies were concerned that Trump might be shifting towards Moscow following disputes with Zelensky. However, Trump has recently shown increasing impatience with Putin.
