Putin proposes direct peace talks with Ukraine to end war

Russian President Vladimir Putin connected Sunday projected nonstop talks with Ukrainian officials to yet bring an extremity to the warfare that began with a 2022 penetration by Moscow.

Putin has frankincense acold offered few, if any, concessions but is present proposing talks with Ukraine successful the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul that helium says indispensable beryllium held without preconditions and with the extremity of lasting peace.

"We are proposing that Kyiv resume nonstop negotiations without immoderate preconditions," Putin said successful a televised connection connected Sunday. "We connection the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already connected Thursday, successful Istanbul."

The Kremlin main said talks should code the basal causes of the warfare and that helium would talk to Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan aboriginal connected Sunday astir facilitating the negotiations, which helium said could effect successful a ceasefire.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a connection to the media astatine the Kremlin successful Moscow, Russia, May 11, 2025. (Reuters)

"Our proposal, arsenic they say, is connected the table," Putin said. "The determination is present up to the Ukrainian authorities and their curators, who are guided, it seems, by their idiosyncratic governmental ambitions, and not by the interests of their peoples."

The connection was a invited motion to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said Kyiv was consenting to negociate but that Moscow indispensable hold to a ceasefire.

"It is simply a affirmative motion that the Russians person yet begun to see ending the war," helium wrote connected X. "The full satellite has been waiting for this for a precise agelong time. And the precise archetypal measurement successful genuinely ending immoderate warfare is simply a ceasefire. There is nary constituent successful continuing the sidesplitting adjacent for a azygous day. We expect Russia to corroborate a ceasefire – full, lasting, and reliable – starting tomorrow, May 12th, and Ukraine is acceptable to meet."

U.S. President Donald Trump said hundreds of thousands of lives volition beryllium saved if the "bloodbath" of the warfare could end.

"A perchance large time for Russia and Ukraine!" Trump wrote connected Truth Social. "Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that volition beryllium saved arsenic this ne'er ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end. It volition beryllium a full new, and overmuch better, WORLD. I volition proceed to enactment with some sides to marque definite that it happens. The USA wants to focus, instead, connected Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!"

Putin's connection for nonstop talks came hours aft European leaders demanded connected Saturday successful Kyiv that the Russian president hold to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire oregon look caller sanctions. But Putin dismissed attempts by immoderate European powers to contented what helium described arsenic "ultimatums."

The Russian person said helium does not regularisation retired that Moscow and Kyiv volition hold connected "some caller truces, a caller ceasefire" during negotiations successful Turkey, saying that the talks would beryllium the archetypal measurement towards a "sustainable" peace.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a connection to the media astatine the Kremlin successful Moscow, Russia, May 11, 2025. (Reuters)

Russia had projected respective ceasefires, including a moratorium connected striking vigor facilities, an Easter ceasefire and astir precocious the 72-hour truce during the celebrations marking 80 years since triumph successful World War Two, Putin said.

Putin said that during the ceasefire successful May, Ukraine attacked Russia with 524 aerial drones, 45 oversea drones, and respective Western missiles. But Ukraine accused Russia of violating the impermanent truces, including the May 8-10 ceasefire.

Despite Putin's connection of bid talks, Russia launched a drone onslaught connected Kyiv and different parts of Ukraine connected Sunday, injuring 1 idiosyncratic and damaging respective backstage homes, Ukrainian officials said.

Putin has maintained his conditions for ending the warfare contempt unit from Trump and warnings from European leaders.

In June, helium said Ukraine indispensable officially driblet its hopes of joining NATO and propulsion its troops from the entirety of the territory of 4 Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia. Moscow has besides urged the U.S. to admit Russia's power implicit parts of Ukraine.

But Russian officials person said they are not against Kyiv's ambitions to articulation the European Union.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was consenting to negociate but that Moscow indispensable hold to a ceasefire. (Getty Images)

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Putin mentioned the 2022 draught woody Russia and Ukraine negotiated soon aft the Russian penetration started.

Under that draft, Ukraine should hold to imperishable neutrality successful speech for planetary information guarantees from the 5 imperishable members of the U.N. Security Council: Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S.

"It was not Russia that broke disconnected negotiations successful 2022. It was Kyiv," Putin said. "Russia is acceptable to negociate without immoderate preconditions."

Putin thanked China, Brazil, African and Middle Eastern countries and the U.S. for their efforts to mediate.

Reuters contributed to this report.