Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday proposed restarting direct peace negotiations with Ukraine “without any preconditions,” saying the talks could begin as early as May 15 in Istanbul.
Putin’s comments came during a late-night press briefing at the Kremlin that concluded shortly before 7 p.m. Eastern time (2 a.m. Sunday in Moscow). The speech lasted about 20 minutes.
He said that “it was not Russia that broke off negotiations in 2022. It was Kyiv,” adding that “nevertheless, we are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions.”
“Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions. There are military actions, a war, now, and we propose to resume the negotiations that were interrupted not by us,” Putin repeated.
“The purpose [of the negotiations] is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict, to establish a long-term, lasting peace,” Putin added. “It’s possible that during these talks we’ll be able to agree on a new cease-fire.”
Kyiv has not yet responded to the Russian leader’s proposal.
Putin said that Turkey has repeatedly offered to facilitate the negotiations and added that “President Erdogan has done a lot for their facilitation.” He mentioned that he plans to speak with Erdogan on Sunday to discuss the potential talks.
Putin reiterated his belief that the West allegedly obstructed previous negotiations.
“Our proposal, as they say, is on the table,” he continued. “The decision is now up to the Ukrainian authorities and their [European handlers].”
“A real truce, which would be observed not only by Russia but also by the Ukrainian side, would be the first step, I repeat, to a long-term sustainable peace, and not a prologue to the continuation of the armed conflict,” Putin said.
Before laying out his plan for renewed talks, Putin accused Ukraine of repeatedly undermining previous cease-fire agreements, claiming that Ukrainian forces violated truces on energy infrastructure about 130 times. He also alleged that Ukraine had attempted to breach the Russian border via the Kursk and Belgorod regions.
He also thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and the current U.S. administration for their mediation efforts, mistakenly calling him “our president Trump.”
Earlier in his remarks, Putin said he hoped to normalize relations with European nations, even those he described as “anti-Russian,” and announced plans to visit China in the near future, calling recent negotiations with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during his recent trip to Moscow “productive.”
Putin also signaled that Moscow is not prepared to accept the new cease-fire proposal put forward by Kyiv’s Western allies. Earlier on May 10, the leaders of the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Poland, and Ukraine proposed that Russia agree to a 30-day cease-fire starting May 12. This would have extended the three-day unilateral cease-fire Moscow had previously announced.
“Those who really want peace cannot but support this,” Putin added.
The proposed talks would not be the first attempt at direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. In March 2022, weeks after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, delegations from both sides met in Istanbul, although the process later collapsed without an agreement. Before that, delegations from Russia and Ukraine held a few meetings in Belarus.
“Certainly, the first peace offer that the Russians put on the table, our reaction was, ‘You’re asking for too much.’ But this is how negotiations unfold,” Vance said.
