MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed resuming direct peace negotiations with Ukraine, suggesting Istanbul as the venue and May 15 as the date. The initiative, aimed at ending the three-year war, has been welcomed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Putin emphasized that the goal of the talks should be achieving a sustainable peace, not just a temporary ceasefire. “We are ready for negotiations without preconditions,” he said from the Kremlin. He added that he would be speaking with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan about hosting the discussions.
The proposed meeting comes amid continued fighting and fresh drone attacks by Russia on Ukraine, despite earlier short-term truces. While Putin has insisted Russia is open to peace, he reiterated demands including Ukraine dropping its NATO aspirations and withdrawing from four occupied regions.
President Zelenskyy’s office has not yet responded to the proposal.
On Truth Social, Trump called the proposal a potentially historic breakthrough, writing, “Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never-ending bloodbath hopefully comes to an end.”
European leaders, meanwhile, recently called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire or threatened additional sanctions on Russia—demands Putin dismissed as ultimatums. He claimed Kyiv, not Moscow, abandoned previous talks in 2022, and cited a draft agreement from that year proposing Ukrainian neutrality in exchange for global security guarantees.
Putin also thanked countries like China, Brazil, and the U.S. for their mediation efforts. Trump reiterated his commitment to ending the war, stating his focus is on “Rebuilding and Trade.”
Despite signs of diplomacy, both sides remain far apart on key issues, and the path to any lasting agreement remains uncertain.