Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he hopes for a ceasefire with Russia starting on Monday and says “I will be waiting for Putin” in Turkiye personally, referring to the Russian president’s offer for direct peace talks in Istanbul.
Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Ukraine’s proposal of a ceasefire starting on Monday remained on the table and that Kyiv was still waiting for a response from Russia.
Earlier on Sunday, he insisted there must be a full, temporary ceasefire in place before the negotiations proposed by Putin could start.
Zelenskyy, writing on X on Sunday, said it was a “positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war” and “the entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time”.
He added, however, that “the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire”, in a reference to his proposal to start a 30-day unconditional truce on Monday.
“There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day. We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire – full, lasting, and reliable – starting tomorrow, May 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet,” Zelenskyy wrote.
In remarks to the media overnight, Putin in effect rejected that ceasefire offer and instead proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday “without preconditions”. He said a ceasefire might be agreed on during the negotiations.
United States President Donald Trump posted on Sunday on Truth Social: “President Putin of Russia doesn’t want to have a Cease Fire Agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH. Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY.”
“At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the U.S., will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly!” Trump added.
‘Political chess game’
Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi, reporting from Kyiv, said this is really an “interesting political chess game” that Zelenskyy is playing.
“What we’re hearing from experts and analysts … is that this is an expert move by Zelenskyy because he wins either way,” Basravi said.
“He goes and shows that he is leading from the front and he is willing to participate in talks to end this war,” he said, referring to the talks slated to take place in Turkiye.
“And if Putin does not show up, it works in his favour – it illustrates what Ukraine has said all along, that Russia is not serious about stopping the war.”
Putin’s offer came after the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom also called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and threatened to ratchet up pressure on Moscow if it does not accept it.
The leaders, who met in Kyiv on Saturday, said their call is backed by Trump as they threatened “massive” new sanctions on Moscow.
Basravi said Zelenskyy has been calling for pressure on Russia from international leaders, “which he got this week”.
“Yesterday, Zelenskyy hosted European leaders. It was a symbolic visit to Kyiv that led to practical measures taken by the European Union,” Basravi said earlier on Sunday. “And we see that playing out now.”
‘More careful’
Putin slammed European “ultimatums” and “anti-Russian rhetoric” before outlining the counterproposal for renewed Russia-Ukraine negotiations.
“We are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,” the Russian president told reporters. “We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday in Istanbul.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in comments aired by Russian state TV on Sunday, called Putin’s proposal “very serious”, aimed at eliminating “the root causes of the conflict” and said it “confirms a real intention to find a peaceful solution”.
Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova, reporting from Moscow, said Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs insisted Kyiv “misread Putin’s statement about the direct talks”.
“According to the Russian side, negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul should take int