Turning point in Russia-Ukraine war? Putin calls for direct talks with Kyiv ‘without preconditions’

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine “without preconditions” in Istanbul on May 15, Thursday. This renewed offer came in response to Ukraine and its allies urging Moscow to commit to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire or face additional sanctions.

Referring to the unsuccessful 2022 peace talks in Istanbul in March, Putin proposed “restarting” them without preconditions on Sunday.

In remarks to reporters, Putin said, “We are committed to serious negotiations with Ukraine.” He added that he doesn't rule out agreeing to a ceasefire later, in the course of direct talks with Ukraine.

Moscow's proposals

Putin said that Russia proposed several ceasefires in recent months — a halt on strikes on energy infrastructure, which Ukraine had agreed to, a unilateral 30-hour Easter truce and another unilateral ceasefire on May 8-10 that has since expired.

Ukrainian officials said Russia repeatedly violated all of those.

Putin on Sunday accused Ukraine of sabotaging “these initiatives time and time again" and launching multiple attacks on Russia.

In March, the United States proposed an immediate, limited 30-day truce, which Ukraine accepted, but the Kremlin has held out for terms more to its liking.

Putin on Sunday once again said the Kremlin needs a truce that would lead to a “lasting peace" instead of one that would allow Ukraine to rearm and mobilize more men into its armed forces.

He said he would speak to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and ask him to facilitate the peace talks on May 15.

Shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Turkey hosted unsuccessful talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators aimed at ending the hostilities. The proposed deal reportedly included provisions for Ukraine’s neutral status and put limits on its armed forces, while delaying talks on the status of Russian-occupied areas.

Moscow has blamed Kyiv and the West for the talks collapsing.

Putin said that "those who truly want peace cannot but support" his proposal to restart the peace talks.

‘A very important signal’

Putin's proposal came after leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Moscow if it does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that they offered on Saturday in a strong show of unity with Kyiv.

The leaders of France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland said their proposal for a ceasefire to start on Monday was supported by US President Donald Trump, whom they had briefed over the phone earlier in the day.

Trump has called for Ukraine and Russia to meet for “very high level talks,” saying they are “very close to a deal” on ending the bloody three-year war.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously said he was ready for peace talks, but only after a ceasefire is in place.

Zelenskyy, speaking to reporters alongside the European leaders in Kyiv on Saturday, called their meeting "a very important signal.”

In a joint statement, as published on Zelenskyy's official website, the five leaders called for a ceasefire “lasting at least 30 days" from Monday, to make room for a diplomatic push to end the war.

“An unconditional ceasefire by definition cannot be subject to any conditions. If Russia calls for such conditions, this can only be considered as an effort to prolong the war and undermine diplomacy,” the statement read.