Russia-Ukraine war: Putin offered meeting in Istanbul, Zelenskiy welcomed
Russian President Vladimir Putin called Ukraine to meet in Istanbul on May 15 without preconditions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that they were positive about this call. President Erdoğan spoke to both Putin and French President Macron on the phone.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed resuming talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15.
Putin reiterated his offer of talks with Ukraine “without preconditions” in a statement following talks with foreign leaders in Moscow for Victory Day celebrations.
"We propose that the Kiev authorities resume the negotiations that they abandoned in 2022, direct negotiations, I emphasize, without any preconditions. We propose to start them without delay, next Thursday, on May 15, in Istanbul," Putin said.
Putin said that if the talks were to resume, steps could be taken towards a new ceasefire and a permanent end to the conflict. The Russian President said, “Achieving a real ceasefire during these negotiations would be possible only if not only Russia but also Ukraine complied with these decisions.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on social media that he welcomed Russia's consideration of ending the war.
Zelenskiy said that they expect Russia to approve the proposal for a full, permanent and reliable ceasefire tomorrow (May 12) and that they are ready to meet:
"It's a positive sign that the Russians are finally starting to think about ending the war. The whole world has been waiting for this for a very long time. The first step to truly ending any war is a ceasefire. There's no point in continuing to kill, even for a single day. We expect Russia to approve a full, permanent and reliable ceasefire tomorrow, May 12, and Ukraine is ready to talk."
Following these statements, AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone.
According to a statement made by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, bilateral relations between Turkey and Russia, as well as regional and global issues, were discussed during the meeting. Erdogan expressed his satisfaction with Putin's statement that peace talks between Russia and Ukraine should resume in Istanbul.
Emphasizing that Türkiye is ready to host peace negotiations that will enable a permanent solution between Russia and Ukraine, President Erdoğan said that a window of opportunity has been opened for peace to be reached between the parties.
The statement also stated that President Erdoğan emphasized that a comprehensive ceasefire would create the necessary ground for negotiations.
President Erdoğan also spoke on the phone with French President Emmanuel Macron.
During Erdoğan and Macron's meeting, bilateral relations between Türkiye and France as well as regional and global developments were discussed.
President Erdoğan emphasized during the meeting that an important opportunity had arisen to end the war between Ukraine and Russia and that this opportunity must be evaluated, and conveyed to Macron that Türkiye was ready to host negotiations to ensure a ceasefire and build lasting peace.
The statement said Erdogan underlined the importance of international cooperation in initiating permanent peace talks between Ukraine and Russia and carrying out Ukraine's reconstruction process in a prudent manner.
US President Donald Trump made a statement on the issue via his social media account Truth Social.
Trump, responding to Putin's call for negotiations, said: "This is probably a big day for Russia and Ukraine! Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never-ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end."
"This will be a whole new, much better world," Trump wrote. "I will continue to work with both sides to make this happen. Instead, the United States wants to focus on rebuilding and trade. A big week is coming."
Leaders from Europe’s leading countries met in Kiev yesterday (May 10) to strongly support an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, warning that if Russian President Putin does not accept the ceasefire within a few days, new sanctions will be imposed on him.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who attended the summit in Ukraine, also contacted US President Donald Trump and stated that they supported the 30-day unconditional ceasefire proposal and that the ceasefire should begin.
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