Putin proposes direct peace talks with Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 11 proposed direct talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul. Mr. Putin said the talks aimed at achieving a lasting peace and eliminating the root causes of the war.
Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, leading to the most serious confrontation between Russia and the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
Russia is proposing direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul to try to "eliminate the root causes of the conflict" and "achieve the restoration of a lasting, sustainable peace," he said.
"It was not Russia that broke off the talks in 2022. It was Kiev. However, we are proposing that Kiev resume direct talks without any preconditions," Putin said, referring to the failed talks shortly after Russia launched its military operation in 2022.
"We propose that the Kiev government resume negotiations immediately on May 15, in Istanbul," Mr. Putin declared.
“Our proposal, as they say, is on the table, the decision now depends on the Ukrainian authorities and their patrons, who seem to be guided by personal political ambitions, and not by the interests of their people.”
European powers on May 10 backed an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, backed by US President Donald Trump, and threatened Mr Putin with “massive” new sanctions if he did not accept it within days.
Mr Trump, who has said he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeatedly said he wants to end the “bloodshed” of the Ukraine conflict, which his administration views as a proxy war between the US and Russia.
According to Reuters, Mr. Putin sees the war as a turning point in Moscow's relations with the West, which he says humiliated Russia after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 by expanding NATO and encroaching on what he sees as Moscow's sphere of influence, including Ukraine.
