Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to resume in-person talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15th. “No prerequisites,” urged Ukraine and its allies to face an unconditional 30-day ceasefire or additional sacred faction in Moscow.
Putin failed to negotiate peace in 2022 in Istanbul in March shortly after the full-scale invasion of Moscow, and proposed “rebooting” them early on Sunday without speaking to reporters.
“We are committed to serious negotiations with Ukraine,” Putin added that he would not exclude him from agreeing to a ceasefire later in the course of his in-person meeting with Ukraine.
Putin’s proposal came after leaders of four major European countries threatened to put pressure on Moscow if they did not accept the unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that they offered on Saturday in a show of strong unity with Kiev.
French leaders, Britain, Germany and Poland, said the proposal for a ceasefire to begin Monday was supported by US President Donald Trump.
Trump has called on Ukraine and Russia to meet for “very high levels of consultation,” and they say they are “very close” to end the bloody Three Years’ War.
Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky previously said that he was prepared for peace talks, but only after the ceasefire was in place.
Moscow’s proposal
Putin said Russia has proposed several ceasefires in recent months. Ukraine agreed to halt the strikes of energy infrastructure, a one-sided 30-hour Easter suspension from May 8-10 and another one-sided halt.
Ukrainian officials said Russia repeatedly violated all of them.
Putin on Sunday accused Ukraine of “these initiatives of hindering them over and over” and launching multiple attacks against Russia.
In March, the US proposed an immediate, limited 30-day ceasefire accepted by Ukraine, but the Kremlin was more absent from its preference conditions.
Putin again said Sunday that the Kremlin would need a ceasefire that would lead to “lasting peace” instead of allowing Ukraine to drive and mobilize more men into the military.
He spoke with Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan and said he would ask him to promote peace talks on May 15th.
Shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Turkey hosted a failed consultation between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators aimed at ending hostilities. The proposed contract reportedly includes provisions that will place restrictions on Ukraine’s neutrality and military forces while delaying consultations on the status of areas occupied by Russian forces.
Moscow has accused Kyiv and West of collapse.
Putin said “people who truly want peace cannot “support” his proposal to resume the peace conference.
“A very important signal”
Zelenskyy spoke with reporters along with Kyiv’s European leaders on Saturday, calling their meeting a “very important signal.”
In a joint statement posted on Zelenskyy’s official website, five leaders called for a ceasefire “lasting at least 30 days” from Monday to create room for diplomatic push to end the war.
“An unconditional ceasefire cannot be under any conditions, and if Russia demands such conditions, this can be viewed as an effort to extend the war and undermine diplomacy,” the statement read.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the US took the lead in monitoring the proposed ceasefire with support from European countries and threatened “large, coordinated sanctions between Europeans and Americans…” if Russia violated the ceasefire.
Macron traveled to Kiev with British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer, German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tass.
“This shows Europe is stepping up and solidarity with Ukraine,” Starmer said.
Retired Vice-General Keith Kellogg, Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, said on Saturday that it was a “comprehensive” 30-day ceasefire covering attacks from air, land, sea and infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Putin held a series of bilateral talks on Saturday with foreign officials who attended Moscow’s own celebration of the defeat of Nazi Germany in an apparent attempt to highlight the West’s failure to isolate it at the global stage. Putin’s interlocutors were included in Ram, the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and Ram, the leader of Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso and Palestinian authorities.
Europe threatens more sanctions if Russia ignores ceasefire offers
Progress at the end of the Three Years’ War seemed elusive for months after Trump returned to the White House, and his earlier claims of an imminent breakthrough failed to come true. Trump has previously urged Ukraine to hand over its territory to Russia and threatened to leave if deals become difficult to end the war.
Since the initiation of talks via the US, Russia has continued its attacks along the 600 miles (600 miles) frontline, including a fatal strike in residential areas with no obvious military targets.
Certain fires include halting battles in the land, sea and air. European leaders threatened to ratchet sanctions, including the Russian energy and banking sector, if Putin did not comply.
The priority was that Russia would be too expensive for it to continue fighting in Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andry Sibikha.
When asked how the surveillance mechanism works, Sybiha told The Associated Press that details are still being discussed.
The new sanctions against Moscow, which have been fighting in the war so far, have said, “Nearly every member state of the European Union and the large coalitions around the world are determined to force these sanctions, even if the weekend initiative fails.”
The leader also discussed security assurances in Ukraine.
Increasing Kyiv’s military capabilities will be an important deterrent against Russia, and will need to supply Ukraine with a robust amount of weapons to prevent future attacks and block investment in the defence sector. According to Macron, troops made up of foreign troops could also be deployed as an additional “secure” measure.
He said details about the potential European deployment into Ukraine are still being tweaked. Although NATO membership was not mentioned, Kyiv’s biggest option for security assurance was not yet.
Earlier on Saturday, European leaders took part in the ceremony at Kiev’s Independence Square to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. They lit the candles along with Zelenki at a makeshift flag memorial for fallen Ukrainian soldiers and civilians who had been killed since the Russian invasion.
The Russian attack continues
Russian artillery fire in Ukraine’s North Smie region on the past day has killed three residents and injured four more, local officials said. Another civilian died Saturday after a Russian drone struck the southern city of Carson, according to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
The US embassy in Kiev on Friday warned of a “potentially important” Russian air force attack in the coming days without giving details.
Russia in November gave the US a brief advance warning before its first attack on Ukraine. This was the first time that Putin attacked with an Oreshnik intermediate ballistic missile, an experimental polar ersonic weapon that claims to be able to travel at 10 times the speed of sound.
The Ukrainian telegram channel linked the embassy warning to reports of an imminent ban on flights by Moscow over Kapstineya’s military training and rocket launch complexes. A similar ban on flights preceded the November strike. There were no immediate comments from Russian officials.
Last week, Trump said he suspected Putin wanted to end the war in Ukraine, expressing renewed skepticism that the peace deal could be reached soon, suggesting further sanctions against Russia.
Ukrainian European allies see its fate as the basis of the continent’s security, and pressure is increasing to find ways to militarily support Kiev, whether Trump withdraws or not.
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Kullab was reported by Kyiv in Ukraine. Kozlowska reported from London. Associated Press authors Thomas Adamson of Paris, Philip Ricefelder of Berlin, and Danica Kirka of London contributed to the report.
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Follow the AP’s report on the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
