Overnight on 11 May, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he is ready to resume direct negotiations with Ukraine from 15 May in Istanbul. Previously, leaked documents had revealed that Moscow's initial peace offer at the 2022 Istanbul talks amounted to Ukraine’s effective surrender. At the same time, the Russian dictator made no mention of the 30-day ceasefire proposal earlier advanced by Ukraine and the EU.
Speaking during a night-time press conference at the Kremlin, held without questions from the press, Putin declared:
“We propose to the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations, which were interrupted by them at the end of 2022. Resume direct negotiations—without any preconditions. We propose to start without delay already next Thursday, 15 May, in Istanbul—where they were held previously and where they were interrupted.”
Putin emphasized that Russia is “ready for serious negotiations” aimed at eliminating the so-called “root causes of the conflict.”
The Russian President claimed that a new ceasefire could emerge from such discussions, saying:
“We do not exclude that in the course of these negotiations it will be possible to agree on some new ceasefire—this would be a first step towards a long-term sustainable peace.”
Putin also announced plans to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 11 May to request his support in facilitating the Istanbul talks.
Zelenskyy's response
Zelenskyy responded to Putin’s proposal by stressing the need for an immediate halt to violence:
“There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day. We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire—full, lasting and reliable—starting tomorrow, 12 May, and Ukraine is ready to meet.”
He welcomed the possibility of Russia finally considering an end to the war:
“It is a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war. The entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time. And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire.”
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