Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed direct “peace” talks with Ukraine on Sunday (May 11), three years after sending thousands of troops to invade the neighboring country and start an ongoing war resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Putin said the talks would be held in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 15 and aim to restore a “long-term, lasting peace,” rather than call for a temporary ceasefire.
“We are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,” Putin said from the Kremlin via Reuters. “We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul.”
Putin said he would discuss the potential peace talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan later on Sunday.
“Our proposal, as they say, is on the table. The decision is now up to the Ukrainian authorities and their curators, who are guided, it seems, by their personal political ambitions, and not by the interests of their peoples.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky didn’t immediately give a public response to Putin’s proposal Sunday morning. President Donald Trump shared a post on his Truth Social account favoring the potential discussions.
“A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine! Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending “bloodbath” hopefully comes to an end. It will be a whole new, and much better, WORLD. I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens. The USA wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!” Trump wrote.
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