Speaking at the Kremlin on the night of May 10 to 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin officially addressed the Ukrainian authorities with a proposal to begin direct negotiations.

“We propose that the Kyiv authorities resume the negotiations they broke off at the end of 2022. To resume direct talks—without any preconditions, I emphasise. We suggest starting without delay, as early as next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul—where they were previously held and interrupted,” the Russian leader stated, according to Caliber.Az, citing Russian media.

Putin also announced his intention to discuss the initiative with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan:

“Tomorrow we are scheduled to have a conversation with the President of Türkiye, Mr. Erdoğan. I want to ask him to provide the opportunity to hold these negotiations in Türkiye. I hope he will confirm his desire to support the search for peace in Ukraine,” he noted.

The head of the Russian state stressed Moscow’s readiness for “serious negotiations with Ukraine”:

“The essence of such talks is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and to move toward establishing a long-term, lasting peace with historical perspective. It is possible that in the course of these negotiations, we could also agree on new ceasefires—on a real ceasefire,” Putin added.

Meanwhile, on May 10, Ukrainian authorities declared their readiness for a complete and unconditional ceasefire on all fronts—land, air, and sea—for a period of 30 days, starting Monday, May 12. The decision followed the visit to Kyiv by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Conservative Party leader Friedrich Merz, and the head of the UK Labour Party.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated at a press conference in Kyiv:

“If Vladimir Putin is truly thinking about peace, now is the time to demonstrate that. Instead of a ceasefire, Putin held a military parade—yet another provocation. If Putin doesn’t return to the path of peace, we will respond. Together with President Trump, we will boost our support for Ukraine’s defensive capabilities to force Russia to the negotiating table,” Starmer emphasised.

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Vladimir Putin’s proposal to resume direct negotiations with Kyiv. The American leader wrote on Truth Social: “This could be a great day for Russia and Ukraine. Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved when this endless slaughter ends.”

Trump also noted that he “will continue working with both sides of the conflict to make sure this happens.”

French President Emmanuel Macron also commented on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to begin direct negotiations with Ukraine, as reported by AFP.

Macron called Russia-Ukraine negotiations a first, but insufficient, step toward resolving the conflict. According to the French leader, Putin is allegedly looking for a way out, but still wants to buy time.

“Unconditional ceasefire must come before negotiations,” Macron said.

Source: caliber.az