MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin of Russia mentioned early Sunday that his nation is dedicated to restart direct talks with Kyiv about ending their warfare, and advised the subsequent discussions start Could 15 in Turkey.
He mentioned he was scheduled to talk to Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, later Sunday with hopes of holding talks subsequent week in Istanbul. There could be no preconditions on Russia’s half, he mentioned.
Putin mentioned Ukraine walked away from such talks previously and broke ceasefire agreements, although either side have been blamed for assaults over the last three ceasefires. He used language that expressed his want for critical talks with long-term penalties, together with long-lasting peace.
Putin’s feedback got here on the final day of the three-day ceasefire declared by Russia, and nearly instantly after leaders from the UK, France, Poland and Germany threatened to extend sanctions in opposition to the nation if he doesn’t settle for an unconditional, 30-day ceasefire beginning Monday.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, U.Ok. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made the demand for an unconditional ceasefire in a information briefing, which included over 30 international locations which have pledged to strengthen Ukraine. Additionally they joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the memorial of fallen Ukrainian troopers at independence sq. in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday.
The leaders mentioned the proposal to start out the ceasefire Monday was supported by U.S. President Donald Trump, whom that they had briefed over the telephone earlier within the day.
The White Home didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The ceasefire goals to implement a halt to combating on land, sea and air. The world leaders’ present of pressure got here amid mounting efforts to influence Moscow to comply with a truce that might permit for peace talks on ending over three years of warfare.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s particular envoy to Ukraine, mentioned on X on Saturday that such a ceasefire might “begin the method for ending the biggest and longest warfare in Europe since World Struggle II.”
Kellogg enlisted a quote from Trump — “cease the killing now” — to bolster his personal assertion in assist of a 30-day ceasefire.
Putin has beforehand mentioned he needs Ukraine to withdraw from 4 areas — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — which Russia illegally annexed shortly after invading Ukraine in February 2022. He has additionally insisted that Ukraine promise by no means to hitch NATO, settle for restrictions on the scale of its military, and defend Russian tradition and language contained in the nation.
Final week, Putin mentioned Russia had adequate power and assets to take the warfare in Ukraine to its logical conclusion, although he hoped there could be no want to make use of nuclear weapons.
The Related Press contributed.
