Kyiv, Ukraine – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday expressed cautious optimism that Russia would commit to a proposed 30-day ceasefire and said Ukraine is ready to meet Moscow for direct peace negotiations.
Zelensky’s comments followed an early morning press conference at the Kremlin where Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Kyiv to resume talks in Istanbul on May 15.
However, the Russian leader stopped short of explicitly agreeing to the ceasefire plan.
“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 12, and Ukraine is ready to meet,” President Zelensky said in a post on social media.
The Ukrainian leader described Moscow’s latest response as a “positive sign,” noting that it was the first indication in months that the Russian side may be considering an end to the war, now in its fourth year.
“The entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time,” Zelensky added. “And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire.”
Zelensky’s remarks came after European leaders, including those of France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland, visited Kyiv over the weekend to push for an immediate, unconditional halt to hostilities.
Their calls were backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, who described the day’s developments as a “potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine,” pledging to work with both parties to secure an end to the fighting.
In a rare late-night address from the Kremlin, President Putin said Russia was prepared to resume direct talks with Ukraine, suspended since March 2022, and would do so without preconditions.
“We propose to the Kyiv authorities to resume the talks that they broke off in 2022, and, I emphasize, without any preconditions,” Putin said. “We propose to start negotiations without delay on Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul.”
Putin also confirmed he intended to speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to facilitate the talks. However, he was critical of what he described as “ultimatums” and “anti-Russian rhetoric” from the West.
While the Russian leader did not mention the proposed 30-day ceasefire directly, he acknowledged that a truce could be discussed during negotiations.
Kyiv, along with its Western allies, has maintained that any meaningful peace process must begin with a ceasefire to reduce civilian casualties and create space for diplomatic engagement.
The conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has led to the deaths of tens of thousands and displaced millions.
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking after returning from Kyiv, dismissed Putin’s statement as a possible stalling tactic. “He’s trying to buy time,” Macron said, calling for continued international pressure on Moscow.
Meanwhile, both sides traded blame on Sunday for renewed violence following the expiration of a previously announced 72-hour ceasefire at midnight on Saturday.
However, Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia had launched 108 Shahed drones overnight, of which 60 were intercepted. Ukrainian authorities accused Russia of violating the truce hundreds of times.
Russia, for its part, alleged that Ukraine had not honoured the temporary ceasefire either.
Despite the continued fighting, hopes remain that the proposed Istanbul talks could mark a turning point in the conflict, even as both sides remain deeply divided over the terms of any lasting peace.
