Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed holding “direct talks” with Ukraine on Thursday in Istanbul, as European leaders and the United States attempt to put pressure on Moscow to agree to a 30-day ceasefire in order to bring an end to the three-year conflict.
“We would like to start immediately, already next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul, where they were held before and where they were interrupted,” Putin said in a rare late-night televised address. He emphasized the talks should be held “without any preconditions.”
“We are set on serious negotiations with Ukraine,” Putin said, adding they are intended to “eliminate the root causes of the conflict” and “reach the establishment of a long-term, durable peace.”
The proposal came just hours after the leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland told Putin to agree to a 30-day ceasefire starting on Monday or face possible “massive sanctions,” according to French President Emmanuel Macron, on a highly symbolic visit to Kyiv.
The demand comes with the backing of the White House after a joint phone call with US President Donald Trump, the Europeans said.
Shortly after the leaders called for a ceasefire, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is “resistant to any kind of pressure.”
“Europe is actually confronting us very openly,” Peskov said, adding that Putin supports the idea of a ceasefire “in general,” but “there are lots of questions” about the recent proposal that still need answering. He did not expand on what these questions are.
Putin said Sunday he would speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about holding talks with Kyiv.
This is a developing story and will be updated.