Mathias Busekist
European leaders has been pressing for a ceasefire, and now Russia is ready to talk.
In a significant development in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed holding direct negotiations with Ukrainian officials in Istanbul next Thursday, May 15. The announcement comes amid renewed efforts from European leaders and the United States to secure a 30-day ceasefire in the conflict that has stretched into its third year.
In a rare late-night televised address on Sunday, Putin stated: “We would like to start immediately, already next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul, where they were held before and where they were interrupted.” He added that the talks should be held “without any preconditions.”
“We are set on serious negotiations with Ukraine,” Putin said. He explained the aim of the talks would be to “eliminate the root causes of the conflict” and to “reach the establishment of a long-term, durable peace.”
The proposal was made just hours after a show of unity in Kyiv, where the leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Poland appeared alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The leaders jointly called on Putin to agree to a 30-day ceasefire beginning Monday or risk facing “massive sanctions,” according to French President Emmanuel Macron.
The coordinated appeal was backed by the White House, following a joint phone call between the European leaders and U.S. President Donald Trump. Hours later, Trump reacted to Putin’s proposal on his social media platform, Truth Social, calling it a “potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!”
“I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens,” Trump wrote, adding, “think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved” from the “never ending bloodbath.”
Despite the diplomatic momentum, the Kremlin signaled some reluctance to accept the terms as outlined by the West. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “Russia is resistant to any kind of pressure,” and accused Europe of “confronting us very openly.” He acknowledged that Putin is supportive of a ceasefire “in general,” but added that “there are lots of questions” surrounding the current proposal, without elaborating.
Putin also said he would be speaking with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about arranging the talks in Istanbul, a city that previously hosted early efforts at negotiation in 2022, before discussions broke down.
Ukraine has been consistently advocating for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, a position strongly backed by its European allies and by former President Trump. While Russia has expressed tentative support for a temporary pause in hostilities, it continues to reference unspecified “nuances” that it says must be addressed before any agreement is reached.
If the talks proceed, it would mark the first direct negotiation between Kyiv and Moscow since the early stages of the Russian invasion. The international community will be watching closely to see whether this latest diplomatic opening can break the stalemate and lay the foundation for peace.