Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed direct talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Turkey that he said should be aimed at achieving lasting peace, an initiative welcomed by US President Donald Trump.
The Russian leader, who has so far offered few concessions on ending the conflict, said the talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul would be aimed at eliminating the root causes of the war and restoring “long-term, lasting peace”, not just a pause for rearmament, Reuters reported.
“We propose that Kiev resume direct talks without any preconditions,” Putin said from the Kremlin early this morning.
“We offer the Kiev authorities to resume negotiations as early as Thursday in Istanbul,” he added.
Putin said he would speak with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday about facilitating the talks, which he said could lead to a ceasefire.
“Our proposal, as they say, is on the table. The decision is now up to the Ukrainian authorities and their curators, who seem to be guided by their own political ambitions, not the interests of their people,” Putin said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the proposal.
In a message on the social media platform, Trump hailed Putin’s proposal as a positive step towards ending the war.
“Potentially a great day for Russia and Ukraine!” Trump said.
“Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this endless ‘bloodbath’ hopefully ends,” the US president said.
Putin’s proposal for talks with Ukraine came hours after European powers demanded in Kiev on Saturday that Putin agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire or face “massive” new sanctions.
