Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday welcomed Russia라이브 바카라 offer of direct peace talks but insisted that a ceasefire must come first.
“It is a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war. The entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time. And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire,” Zelenskyy posted on X. “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,” he added.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for "direct talks" with Ukraine on May 15, just hours after European leaders met in Kyiv to demand a 30-day ceasefire. The leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom, who were meeting in Kyiv, said their call was backed by United States President Donald Trump and threatened “massive” new sanctions on Moscow if it did not agree to the plan.
Putin, however, rejected that proposal, slamming European “ultimatums” and “anti-Russian rhetoric” before putting forward a counter-proposal 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.”
Putin said he would speak to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later on Sunday about facilitating the talks.
In remarks to the media overnight, Putin effectively rejected the ceasefire offer and proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday instead, “without preconditions.” He said a ceasefire might be agreed upon during the negotiations.
Meanwhile, Russia resumed mass drone attacks on Ukraine early Sunday, following the end of its self-declared three-day pause.
According to Ukraine라이브 바카라 Air Force, Russia launched 108 attack and simulator drones from six different directions. It said Ukrainian forces shot down 60 drones, while 41 simulator drones failed to hit targets due to countermeasures.
