Putin suggests direct peace negotiations: Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that direct peace negotiations with Ukraine take place on May 15 in Istanbul, marking the most important diplomatic move from the Kremlin in months during this protracted and terrible war.
Speaking from the Kremlin early on Sunday, Putin said the negotiations should aim not only at a temporary truce but also at “eliminating the root causes of the conflict” and “restoring a long-term, lasting peace.”
“We are suggesting Kyiv start straight negotiations free from any prerequisites,” Putin stated. “We invite the officials from Kyiv to begin negotiations on Thursday in Istanbul.”
The declaration comes more than three years after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, causing hundreds of thousands of military losses and a dramatic collapse in Moscow-West relations.
Russia has lately shown a readiness to negotiate, but it has hardly done so without adding criteria.
Sunday’s suggestion appears to be a deliberate shift, possibly intended to seize the diplomatic initiative before increasing pressure from the West.
Later in the day, Putin said he would speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to ask Ankara for further mediation support.
Turkey has already held unsuccessful 2022 rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Saying, “Our proposal, as they say, is on the table,” he charged Kyiv and her Western supporters of giving “personal political ambitions” top priority over peace. Now, the choice rests with the curators and the government of Ukraine.
Ukraine has so far argued that any negotiations must be based on the removal of Russian soldiers and the restoration of its whole territorial integrity, despite increasing calls for a negotiated settlement, notably from US President Donald Trump and other European countries.
Neither the foreign ministry of Ukraine nor the office of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy answered calls for comments right away.
The most recent overture consists of weeks of intensified conflict and failed ceasefire initiatives, including a three-day Russian truce that Ukraine rejected as a “theatrical show” because of ongoing attacks.
