Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for “direct talks” with Ukraine, saying they should “start without delay, as early as 15 May”.
“We seek serious talks… to remove the root causes of the conflict and start moving towards a lasting, strong peace”, he said on Saturday, in a rare televised late-night address from the Kremlin.
It comes hours after European leaders – including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron – visited Ukraine and urged Russia to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had said Moscow would “have to think this through” – but warned that “trying to pressure us is quite useless”.
Putin said he would “not rule out” that in the course of the talks – which he proposes should happen in Istanbul, Turkey – “we’ll be able to agree new ceasefires, a new truce”.
The Russian leader said he would speak to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday to discuss the details.
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