President Trump comments on Putin's offer of talks
President Trump said President Putin's offer of direct talks was "a great day for Russia and Ukraine."
According to RIA Novosti on May 11, commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal for direct peace negotiations with Ukraine, US President Donald Trump said "this could be the best day for Russia and Ukraine".
Earlier, President Putin said that he would discuss with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the possibility of holding direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul. Mr. Putin proposed to Kiev, regardless of everything, to resume direct negotiations on May 15, without any preconditions.
The Russian president's proposal to negotiate with Ukraine is a "smart move" that puts Europe in a difficult position, as Europe is already tired of claiming that it wants to force Russia to negotiate, Argentine historian Hernando Cleimans told RIA Novosti.
"Putin's message was unexpected. It was a masterstroke. Russia once again proved that it wants peace. And once again it puts Kiev's European patrons in a difficult position, because they are forced to react... They are fed up with saying that they want to force Russia to negotiate. So Moscow is offering them negotiations with one small detail - without preconditions. What does this mean? That the negotiations will be conducted on the basis of what is. Not on the basis of what someone wants or what someone thinks, but on the basis of what is already there," said historian Kleimans.
The expert believes that, logically, the likelihood that Kiev will ignore these proposals is very small, but at the same time he notes that anything is possible.
Meanwhile, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said Russia is waiting for Ukraine's response to the proposal to hold talks in Istanbul on May 15.
