Putin offers direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has proposed holding direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, without any preconditions, to discuss ending the war, News.Az reports citing DW.
“We are ready for serious negotiations with Ukraine. The goal is to address the root causes of the conflict and achieve a long-term, lasting peace. It is possible that these talks could also result in agreements on new ceasefires, including a real and effective truce,” Putin stated during a press briefing early on May 11.
The Russian leader also announced plans to speak by phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday, May 12. During that conversation, Putin intends to ask his Turkish counterpart to host the negotiations in Istanbul.
Putin did not comment on Kyiv’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire starting May 12. Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had said that Russia was open to discussing the proposal, provided certain “details” were taken into account.
Later, in an interview with Russia-1 TV correspondent Pavel Zarubin, Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov stated that Moscow would soon announce the level of its participation in the proposed talks in Istanbul. He added that the Kremlin is waiting for an official response from Ukraine to Putin’s proposal.
“We need to come and start the negotiations… if they truly want this, of course,” Ushakov concluded.
Meanwhile, according to Axios, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told former U.S. President Donald Trump in a recent phone call that Kyiv is willing to begin direct talks with Russia if Putin agrees to the proposed 30-day ceasefire.
Two sources familiar with the conversation told reporters that Trump appeared “satisfied” with Zelensky’s statement, and Washington is now “waiting to see what Russia will do.”
In his remarks to the press, Putin also accused Ukraine of violating the 30-day moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure, which had been in place during March and April 2025. He further claimed that Ukraine’s armed forces violated the Easter ceasefire more than 5,000 times and ignored Russia’s proposal for a ceasefire from May 8 to 10, allegedly launching five border breach attempts during that period. Putin also accused Kyiv of attempting to intimidate foreign leaders who attended the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9.
Earlier, Ukraine had also accused Russian forces of violating the Easter ceasefire, which lasted 30 hours at the end of April. At that time, President Zelensky proposed extending the truce by introducing a 30-day moratorium on long-range drone and missile strikes targeting civilian infrastructure.
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