Vladimir Putin has proposed restarting direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul next week, but stopped short of agreeing to a Western-backed ceasefire due to begin on Monday.
Speaking from the Kremlin in the early hours of Sunday, the Russian president said: “We propose the Kyiv authorities resume the negotiations they interrupted at the end of 2022... to resume direct negotiations... without any preconditions... to begin without delay next Thursday 15 May in Istanbul.”
The proposal came as European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, warned that Russia would face further sanctions if it did not agree to an immediate and unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
The ceasefire plan was announced at a summit in Kyiv attended by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Sir Keir said: “All of us here, together with the US, are calling Putin out. So we are clear, all five leaders here — all the leaders of the meeting we just had with the coalition of the willing — an unconditional ceasefire, rejecting Putin's conditions, and clear that if he turns his back on peace, we will respond. Working with President Trump, with all our partners, we will ramp up sanctions and increase our military aid for Ukraine's defence to pressure Russia back to the table.”
Russia’s own three-day ceasefire, declared to mark the anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany, ended on Saturday. Ukraine has accused Russian forces of repeatedly violating it.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told CNN that Moscow would need to review the terms of the proposed 30-day pause.
US President Donald Trump, posting on Truth Social, said there was a “big week upcoming” and reiterated his aim to help end what he called the “never-ending bloodbath” and save “hundreds of thousands of lives”.
He added: “The USA wants to focus, instead, on rebuilding and trade.”
While Mr Trump did not directly mention the ceasefire plan or Putin’s proposed talks, European leaders said they had briefed him during a 20-minute call during the Kyiv summit.
Mr Putin said Russia remained open to negotiations: “We are committed to serious negotiations with Ukraine,” he said. “Their purpose is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict, to establish a long-term, lasting peace. We do not rule out that during these negotiations it will be possible to agree on some new truces, a new ceasefire.”
