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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday offered holding direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, hours after Kyiv and European leaders called for an unconditional 30-day cease-fire to start Monday.
"We propose to start (negotiations) without delay on Thursday May 15 in Istanbul," Putin told reporters in a middle-of-the-night statement at the Kremlin, adding that he would talk to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to ask his help to facilitate the talks.
"We propose to the Kyiv authorities to resume the talks that they broke off in 2022, and, I emphasise, without any preconditions," he added.
Putin also said he was "committed to serious negotiations with Ukraine" and that he wanted talks to "eliminate the root causes of the conflict and to establish a long-lasting peace".
"We do not exclude that during these talks we will be able to agree on some new cease-fire," he added, without directly addressing the call made by the leaders of Ukraine, Britain, France, Germany, and Poland for a cease-fire to start Monday.
Putin also noted Türkiye's role in organizing the Russia-Ukraine negotiations and said that he would hold a phone call Monday (May 12) with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and request a platform for the talks to discuss pathways toward peace with Ukraine.
"Russia is prepared to negotiate without preconditions. There is a war underway now, and we suggest resuming negotiations. Those genuinely seeking peace will endorse this initiative," he said.
Russian president added that a new cease-fire could potentially be negotiated in Istanbul.
"Our proposals are on the table, and the choice rests with the Ukrainian authorities and their supervisors, who seem driven by their own ambitions rather than the interests of their peoples," he added.
Russia and Ukraine held talks in Istanbul in March 2022 and agreed on a draft peace agreement. Ukraine later unilaterally withdrew from the peace process.
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