ReutersRussian President Vladimir Putin has referred to as for “direct talks” with Ukraine, saying they need to “begin immediately, as early as 15 Might”.
“We search critical talks… to take away the foundation causes of the battle and begin transferring in direction of an enduring, robust peace”, he mentioned on Saturday, in a uncommon televised late-night handle from the Kremlin.
It got here hours after European leaders – together with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron – visited Ukraine and urged Russia to conform to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had mentioned in response that Moscow would “must suppose this by” – however warned that “making an attempt to strain us is sort of ineffective”.
In his assertion, Putin mentioned he would “not rule out” the likelihood that the talks – which he proposed ought to happen in Turkey’s largest metropolis Istanbul – might end in Russia and Ukraine agreeing “new ceasefires, a brand new truce”.
The Russian chief mentioned he would communicate to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday to debate the small print.
Kyiv has not responded to the invitation, which got here on the identical day European leaders travelled to the Ukrainian capital and referred to as on Moscow to conform to a month-long ceasefire, beginning on Monday.
Leaders of France, Germany, the UK and Poland – a part of the so-called “coalition of the willing” – had been hosted by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and took half in a joint information convention throughout the journey.
They warned that “new and large” sanctions could be imposed on Russia’s power and banking sectors ought to Putin not conform to the unconditional 30-day ceasefire “within the air, at sea and on land”.
Getty PhotographsIn addition they mentioned they’d mentioned the proposal with Donald Trump. Sir Keir later told the BBC the US president was “completely clear” that their suggestion of a direct ceasefire was a “demand that have to be met”.
After the assembly – a symbolic response to Victory Day celebrations, hosted by Putin in Moscow a day earlier – Zelensky thanked the assembled leaders for “standing with” Ukraine.
“As we speak we’ll deal with easy methods to construct and assure actual and lasting safety,” he mentioned.
Responding to the proposal, the Kremlin’s Peskov mentioned: “It’s a new improvement. However making an attempt to strain us is sort of ineffective.”
Russian state media additionally quoted him as saying that statements from Europe had been “typically confrontational in nature slightly than aimed toward making an attempt to revive our relationships”.
Moscow has beforehand mentioned that earlier than contemplating a ceasefire, the West should first halt its army support to Ukraine.
Putin later made his personal assertion, with video displaying journalists assembled in a corridor contained in the Kremlin.
“This might be step one in direction of a long-term, lasting peace, slightly than a prologue to extra armed hostilities after the Ukrainian armed forces get new armaments and personnel, after feverish trench-digging and the institution of recent command posts,” he mentioned.
“Who wants peace like that?”
Putin additionally accused Ukraine of getting repeatedly failed to reply to a number of ceasefire proposals from Moscow, together with a 30-day halt in attacks on energy infrastructure and final month’s Easter truce.
The day after Moscow agreed to cease concentrating on Ukrainian power infrastructure, Zelensky instructed EU leaders that “nothing had modified” and assaults continued.
One other ceasefire Putin flagged was one he ordered in April to coincide with World Warfare Two commemorations. It ended on Saturday at midnight native time (21:00 GMT).
Kyiv had rejected the unilateral, three-day ceasefire, calling it a “theatrical present”. As an alternative, Zelensky reiterated requires an extended truce of at the least 30 days.
On Thursday – the identical day the supposed ceasefire took impact – Ukraine accused Russia of greater than 730 violations and mentioned it was responding “appropriately”.
Russia’s defence ministry insisted the truce was being noticed, earlier than accusing Ukraine of 488 violations.
“In any case, we’re providing the Kyiv authorities to renew the negotiations… resume direct talks, and I stress, with none preconditions,” Putin mentioned on Saturday.
The final direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv came about shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine started greater than three years in the past.
