Ukrainian President welcomes Russia's proposal, but says ceasefire must come before peace talks – State
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed Russia's direct peace talks on Sunday, but insisted that there must be a complete temporary ceasefire before the negotiations begin.
Zelenskyy wrote on X that it was a “positive signal that the Russians finally began to think about ending the war” and said “the whole world has been waiting for a long time.”
But, he added, “The first step to really ending any war is a ceasefire.”
“Even a day's killing doesn't make any sense. We hope Russia will confirm a ceasefire from tomorrow, May 12 from tomorrow, Ukraine – full, lasting and reliable,” Zelenskyy said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin commented to the media overnight, effectively rejecting the proposal for a ceasefire and proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday, rather than “no prerequisites.” He said a consensus ceasefire could be reached in the negotiations.
Putin's counterattack comes after leaders from four major European countries threatened to increase pressure on Moscow if it did not accept Ukraine's unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
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French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met in Kiev on Saturday and began a call for a truce on Monday. The plan has been supported by EU and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Hours after Putin’s overnight comments on peace talks, Trump said in a social media post: “It could be a great day for Russia and Ukraine!”
“I will continue to work with both parties to make sure that happens,” he added.
Macron said on Sunday that Putin's proposal to negotiate directly with Ukraine was a “first step, but not enough”, indicating that Western intentions for Moscow continue to be suspicious.
French media said: “There was no negotiation before the unconditional ceasefire.”
Macron also warned that Putin was looking for a way out, but he still wanted to buy time. ”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Putin's proposal “very serious” to eliminate “the root cause of the conflict” and said “confirm the intention to find a peaceful solution.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Macron and Putin on Sunday and told them on a separate phone call Türkiye is ready to preside over the peace talks. He also said that according to a statement from the Turkish Presidential Communications Office, a “historic turning point” has been reached to end the war.
Meanwhile, Russia, which claimed to have expired for a three-day pause, resumed a massive Ukrainian drone attack earlier on Sunday.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 108 attack drones and simulator drones from six different directions. It said that 60 drones were shot down due to Ukraine’s countermeasures and another 41 simulator drones failed to reach their targets.
The Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of “violating” Moscow's three-day ceasefire more than 14,000 times on Sunday. Ukraine disagreed with the ceasefire from May 8 to 10, and he also accused Russia of violating its truce, which Ukrainian Foreign Minister called it a farce.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
