Moscow

On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested a direct meeting with Ukraine, proposing Istanbul as the location on May 15th.

He stated, “It wasn’t Russia that halted the negotiations in 2022; it was Kyiv. Still, we’re offering for Kyiv to resume talks directly, without any conditions.”

Putin continued, “Despite the circumstances, we invite the authorities in Kyiv to restart negotiations this Thursday in Istanbul.”

He reminded that a joint draft was prepared as a result of earlier discussions, initiated by Kyiv’s negotiation head, but was disregarded by Western parties.

Putin noted, “Russia has made multiple ceasefire proposals.” He added that the authorities in Kyiv have not responded to any of these.

Furthermore, he mentioned that during three days of a declared ceasefire, Kyiv attempted to attack the Russian border five times.