Moscow — Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Sunday that Moscow is prepared to resume direct peace negotiations with Ukraine and proposed that new talks begin on May 15 in Turkey. He added that he would be speaking with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later in the day to discuss holding the meetings in Istanbul.
Putin stated that Russia would enter the negotiations without preconditions, although he accused Ukraine of previously abandoning talks and violating ceasefire agreements. Both Russia and Ukraine have been blamed for breaches during the last three ceasefires.
His remarks come just as a three-day ceasefire declared by Russia concludes. On Saturday, world leaders including the heads of state from the United Kingdom, France, Poland, and Germany threatened to impose tougher sanctions on Russia if it does not agree to a new unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting Monday.
During a press conference in Kyiv, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy collectively urged the immediate halt of hostilities. The ceasefire plan is backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, who was briefed on the proposal by phone.
The ceasefire would halt fighting across land, sea, and air to facilitate renewed peace efforts. Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, supported the proposal on social media, quoting Trump’s call to “stop the killing now,” and describing the ceasefire as a step toward ending the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.
Putin has consistently demanded that Ukraine cede control of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson — regions illegally annexed by Russia in 2022. He has also called for Ukraine to remain outside of NATO, reduce the size of its military, and protect Russian language and culture within its borders.
Despite warning last week that Russia has the capability to escalate the war, including the use of nuclear weapons, Putin reiterated his hope for a diplomatic resolution to the more than three-year-long conflict.