President Vladimir Putin has called for “direct talks” with Ukraine to begin “without delay”, proposing Istanbul as a venue for negotiations starting as early as May 15.
The rare late-night address, delivered from the Kremlin on Saturday, signalled Moscow’s latest overture amid mounting international pressure for a ceasefire.
“We seek serious talks to remove the root causes of the conflict and start moving towards a lasting, strong peace,” Putin said, suggesting the talks could pave the way for new truce arrangements between the two countries. He also confirmed plans to speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday to discuss the framework for the proposed dialogue.
Putin’s statement came hours after European leaders, including British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, visited Kyiv to demonstrate solidarity with Ukraine and jointly called on Moscow to accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. The leaders warned of “new and massive” sanctions on Russia’s energy and financial sectors should the Kremlin refuse the proposal.
The high-profile visit to Ukraine — also attended by the heads of government from Germany and Poland — was interpreted as a symbolic counter to Russia’s Victory Day celebrations held in Moscow a day earlier. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hosted the visiting leaders, reaffirming his administration’s demand for a meaningful and enforceable truce.
“Today we will focus on how to build and guarantee real and lasting security,” Zelensky said during a joint press conference in Kyiv.
Sir Keir later told the BBC that US President Donald Trump had also endorsed the proposed ceasefire, describing it as a “demand that must be met”.
Mixed Signals from the Kremlin
Reacting to the ceasefire push, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would “have to think this through”, cautioning that “trying to pressure us is quite useless”. He criticised Western statements as being “confrontational in nature rather than aimed at trying to revive our relations”.
In his televised remarks, Putin struck a more conciliatory tone but questioned the sincerity of Kyiv’s intentions. “This would be the first step towards a long-term, lasting peace, rather than a prologue to more armed hostilities after the Ukrainian armed forces get new armaments and personnel,” he said, alluding to continued Western military support for Ukraine.
Putin accused Kyiv of ignoring multiple Russian ceasefire proposals, including a recent 30-day pause in strikes on energy infrastructure and an Easter truce in April. He said Ukraine had similarly dismissed a three-day unilateral ceasefire ordered by Moscow for World War Two commemorations, which expired at midnight on Saturday.
Ukraine, however, maintained that Russian forces violated the truce almost immediately. Ukrainian officials claimed over 730 violations during the ceasefire window, while Russia’s defence ministry accused Ukraine of 488 breaches, insisting its own forces were observing the pause.
Zelensky dismissed the Kremlin’s moves as “a theatrical show” and reiterated Kyiv’s call for a more durable 30-day truce backed by international guarantees.
No Preconditions
Despite the lack of response from Kyiv to the latest offer, Putin stated that Russia was open to resuming talks “without any preconditions”.
“In spite of everything, we are offering the Kyiv authorities to resume the negotiations... resume direct talks,” he said, adding that the initiative was aimed at avoiding further military escalation.
The last direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine occurred shortly after the launch of Moscow’s full-scale invasion over three years ago. Since then, intermittent backchannel contacts have yielded little progress.
While European capitals cautiously welcomed the Russian leader’s remarks, diplomats signalled that any renewed talks must be accompanied by a verifiable halt to hostilities on the ground — something past ceasefire efforts have failed to secure.
