Putin proposes direct talks with Kyiv in Istanbul for May 15  

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a late-night statement on May 11, indicated readiness for “direct talks” with Kyiv in Istanbul on Thursday, May 15.

In his nighttime speech summarizing international events for the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, Putin stated that the aim of restarting direct dialogue with Ukraine is to “eliminate the fundamental causes of the conflict” and “establish a long-term, lasting peace.”

Putin said, “We propose to restart direct talks with the Kyiv administration without delay this Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul.”

Moscow had previously stated it could consider a ceasefire agreement under certain conditions, including a complete halt to Western military aid to Ukraine.

Initial Western reactions to Putin’s offer of direct talks have arrived. US President Donald Trump, in a statement on his social media platform Truth Social, welcomed Vladimir Putin’s initiative for direct talks, saying, “This is probably a great day for Russia and Ukraine,” and announced that a “great week” would begin.

French President Emmanuel Macron described Putin’s offer as “a first step, but not enough.” Macron stated he believed Russia was “looking for a way out but still wants to buy time.”

On Saturday, the leaders of France, Britain, Germany, and Poland announced that their ceasefire proposals, effective from Monday, were supported by Trump, whom they had informed by phone the same day.

As a gesture of “solidarity” with Ukraine, the four European leaders threatened to increase sanctions pressure on Russian President Putin if their proposals were rejected. The Kyiv visit by the four leaders was their first joint trip to Ukraine and the first official visit for Friedrich Merz as the new German Chancellor.

Last month, prior to the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Putin had declared a unilateral temporary ceasefire from midnight on May 8 to midnight on May 11.

It was reported that fighting did not stop despite Moscow’s three-day unilateral ceasefire. Kyiv and Moscow exchanged mutual accusations. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, in a statement on the X social media network, described the ceasefire as “absurdity,” asserting that Russia continued its attacks on Ukrainian civilians and its assaults on the front line in Ukraine.

However, Putin, in his nighttime speech, accused Ukraine of escalating attacks against Russia in the days preceding the Victory Day “ceasefire” and of repeatedly violating the three-day ceasefire, including five cross-border attack attempts on the Kursk and Belgorod oblasts. Putin stated that these attacks had “no military significance.”