Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed “direct conversations” with Ukraine on Thursday (15) in Istanbul, Turkey, seeking a ceasefire between the two countries.
Putin’s speech occurs as European leaders and the United States press Putin to agree with a 30-day ceasefire, seeking to end the three-year conflict.
“We would like to start (conversations) immediately, next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul-where they were being held before they were interrupted,” Putin said in televised speech on Saturday (10).
In the pronouncement, Putin emphasized that negotiations should be performed “without any preconditions.”
“We are determined to start serious negotiations with Ukraine,” Putin said, adding that they aim to “eliminate the deep causes of conflict” and “achieve the establishment of long -term lasting peace.”
The proposal came a few hours after the leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland said Putin to agree with a 30-day ceasefire from Monday (12), or faced possible “massive sanctions,” according to French President Emmanuel Macron, visiting Ukraine.
The European request came with support from the United States after a joint call from the leaders with President Donald Trump, the Europeans said.
Shortly after the leaders ask for a ceasefire, Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia is “resistant to any kind of pressure.”
“Europe is actually confronting us very openly,” Peskov said, adding that Putin supports the idea of a “widespread” ceasefire, but “there are many questions”-without specifying which-about the recent proposal that still need to be answered.
Putin said he would talk to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about negotiations with Ukraine.
Two months ago, Ukraine says she wants an immediate ceasefire of 30 days-an endorsed position by the main European allies of the Ukrainians and also by Trump.
So far, Russia has refused to commit to, saying it supports the idea of a 30-day ceasefire in principle, but insists that there is what is called “nuances” that need to be approached first.
Last Sunday (4), Putin denied that Moscow refused dialogue with Ukraine and said that “the decision now is up to the Ukrainian authorities.”
“We do not rule out that during these negotiations there will be the possibility of reaching some kind of new truce, a new ceasefire,” he said.
Putin called the proposed negotiations “a first step towards stable and lasting peace, but not the prologue for the continuation of an armed conflict after rearmament and the recurrence of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
Putin has often talked about the need to address what he calls “deep causes” to conflict – such as the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to the east Europe.
In a public social network publication last Thursday (8), Trump wrote that “if the ceasefire is not respected, the US and his partners will impose new sanctions against Russia.
To CNN, Peskov said Russia is “very grateful” for US mediation efforts, but added that at the same time “it is useless” to try to press them.
* With collaboration by Andrew Carey, Nick Paton Walsh and Ivana Kottasova
This content was originally published in Putin says Russia is ready for “direct conversations” with Ukraine on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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