Ukraine ready to meet Russia but only if ceasefire agreed, says Zelenskky

Ukraine is unfastened to nonstop talks with Russia aboriginal this week but lone if Moscow signs up to an unconditional ceasefire first, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, responding to Vladimir Putin’s overnight suggestion of negotiations successful Turkey.

“There is nary constituent successful continuing the sidesplitting adjacent for a azygous day. We expect Russia to corroborate a ceasefire – full, lasting and reliable – starting tomorrow, May 12, and Ukraine is acceptable to meet,” Ukraine’s president said successful a post connected X connected Sunday morning.

His main of staff, Andriy Yermak, was clearer successful a Telegram post, successful effect to Putin’s proposition that Ukrainian and Russian delegations should conscionable this Thursday successful Istanbul: “First a 30-day ceasefire, past everything else.”

The request for a 30-day ceasefire was acceptable retired connected Saturday during a four-way sojourn to Kyiv by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland, who unneurotic with Zelenskyy made a telephone telephone to the US president, Donald Trump, earlier holding a associated property conference.

If Putin rejected the offer, said the British premier minister, Keir Starmer, “we volition respond, moving with President Trump, with each our partners, we volition ramp up sanctions, and summation our subject assistance for Ukraine’s defence to unit Russia backmost to the table”.

The Russian president’s effect to the ultimatum came successful the antithetic signifier of a connection work retired to journalists successful a ceremonial Kremlin country adjacent to 2am section clip (midnight BST). He accused Ukraine of breaking erstwhile ceasefires, but said that “despite this” helium was suggesting the 2 parties conscionable for talks, which helium said could instrumentality spot successful Istanbul this Thursday. “We are acceptable for superior talks with Ukraine, and we privation to lick the basal causes of the conflict,” said Putin.

His code appeared cautiously calibrated to cull Europe’s demands but besides marque Moscow look to beryllium playing constructively successful the eyes of the Trump administration, which has tended to beryllium overmuch softer connected Moscow than connected Kyiv until caller days. Putin made a constituent of thanking the caller medication for its efforts to lick the conflict.

Trump’s archetypal response, posted connected the Truth Social web a fewer hours later, suggested this maneuver whitethorn person worked. The US president wrote: “A perchance large time for Russia and Ukraine! Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that volition beryllium saved arsenic this ne'er ending ‘bloodbath’ hopefully comes to an end. It volition beryllium a full new, and overmuch better, WORLD.”

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, however, took a antithetic line, penning connected X connected Sunday greeting that nary talks would beryllium imaginable until Putin agreed to the ceasefire.

“President Zelensky committed without mounting immoderate condition. We present expect an arsenic wide effect from Russia. There tin beryllium nary negotiations portion weapons are speaking. There tin beryllium nary dialog if, astatine the aforesaid time, civilians are being bombed,” helium wrote.

The flurry of back-and-forth offers and ultimatums suggests fast-moving diplomacy astir the conflict, but down the rhetoric it is not wide however overmuch of the cardinal positions of the 2 sides person changed.

Ukraine and its European allies are demanding a afloat ceasefire, aft which negotiations would past commencement connected a broad colony including a European “reassurance force” wrong Ukraine.

Putin, connected the different hand, has small involvement successful an unconditional ceasefire, and alternatively wants to support warring to summation the unit connected Ukraine to motion up to a fig of Moscow’s halfway demands, which person changed small since the commencement of the war. As good arsenic territorial claims to the regions it occupies, Moscow is expected to request guarantees implicit Ukraine’s aboriginal governmental and subject decisions. The Kremlin has already made it wide it would not judge occidental troops stationed successful Ukraine.

Much of what happens present whitethorn beryllium connected what presumption Trump takes, and whether the European leaders who visited Kyiv connected Saturday are capable to transportation him of their presumption that nonstop negotiations portion warring is continuing are improbable to beryllium advantageous to Ukraine.

In the hours aft Putin’s address, Russia launched much than 100 drones astatine Ukraine, arsenic a three-day ceasefire unilaterally declared by Putin came to an end.

The ceasefire was pegged to the 80th day of triumph successful the 2nd satellite war, for which Putin presided implicit a subject parade successful Moscow connected Friday with guests that included the leaders of China and Brazil. Kyiv rejected that ceasefire, saying it was a cynical effort to debar attacks connected Russia during the set-piece parade, portion Moscow continues to cull calls for a longer-term ceasefire.