Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, aiming to restart negotiations without preconditions. His offer comes shortly after Kyiv and European leaders urged Moscow to commit to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting Monday.
Putin did not explicitly address that call in his statement, delivered after 1 a.m. in the Kremlin, instead outlining the counter-proposal for fresh Russia-Ukraine negotiations.
"We propose to the Kyiv authorities to resume the talks that they broke off in 2022, and, I emphasise, without any preconditions," Putin said.
European leaders, including those from Ukraine, Britain, France, Germany, and Poland, convened in Kyiv on Saturday, warning Moscow of new sanctions and increased military aid for Ukraine if Russia rejected the ceasefire proposal.
Earlier in the conflict, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators engaged in direct talks in Istanbul, but those discussions failed to bring an end to the ongoing hostilities.
"We propose to start (negotiations) without delay on Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul," Putin said, adding that he would talk to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan soon to ask for his help to facilitate the talks.
Putin said he was "committed to serious negotiations with Ukraine" and that he wanted talks to "eliminate the root causes of the conflict and to establish a long-lasting peace".
Russia has consistently framed the "root causes" of its invasion of Ukraine as grievances against Kyiv and the West, citing objectives such as "de-Nazifying" Ukraine, protecting Russian speakers in the east, countering NATO expansion, and halting Ukraine’s westward geopolitical shift.
However, Kyiv and Western nations have dismissed these claims, arguing that Russia’s actions amount to an imperial-style land grab.
Since the war began in February 2022, tens of thousands have lost their lives, and millions have been displaced.
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not directly respond to the latest ceasefire proposal in his remarks on Saturday, despite Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stating that Moscow would need time to consider it. Russia’s unilateral three-day ceasefire, declared for the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany, expired on Saturday, with Ukraine accusing Russian forces of repeated violations.
Putin stated, “We do not exclude that during these talks we will be able to agree on some new ceasefire.” However, he criticised Ukraine’s Western allies, accusing them of seeking to prolong the war with Russia. Without explicitly addressing the Ukraine-European proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, he condemned European “ultimatums” and “anti-Russian rhetoric”.
(inputs from IANS)