Russia is inviting the Ukrainian government to resume direct negotiations without any preconditions in Istanbul on May 15, in order to address root causes of the conflict and, possibly, to achieve a ceasefire, TASS reports citing Russian President Vladimir Putin.
As he summed up the results of a series of meetings with foreign leaders in Moscow, the Russian president said Kiev has repeatedly violated ceasefire agreements, but the ball is now in the Ukrainian government’s court.
Putin thanked foreign partners for attending the festivities in Moscow and for their peace-oriented efforts.
Below are the main points of Putin’s statements.
Proposal to Kiev
"We have repeatedly put forward ceasefire proposals. We have never rejected dialogue with the Ukrainian side."
"In this regard, <…> we invite the Kiev government to resume without any preconditions the negotiations, which they disrupted in late 2022."
"We suggest beginning without delay, next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul."
Russia is poised for serious negotiations with Ukraine: "Their aim is to eradicate the root causes of the conflict, to pave the way to a long-term, solid peace."
"We are not ruling out that during these talks we will be able to agree on some new ceasefire, a new truce. I mean a real truce, which would be observed not only by Russia, but also by Ukraine," Putin told reporters in the Kremlin. It would be the first step, I repeat, towards a long-term and lasting peace, and not a preface towards continuing the armed conflict after re-equipment and additional supply of the Ukrainian troops and feverish digging of entrenchments and new strongholds. Who needs this peace?"
Ceasefire violations
Russia did not rule out the possibility of extending the three-day Victory Day ceasefire in May depending on the Kiev government’s reaction: "On this holy day for us we declared a ceasefire for the third time. We told our colleagues in the West <…> that we do not rule out the possibility of extending it. But, of course, this would have been done after we had analyzed what happens over these three days, depending on how the Kiev regime reacts to this."
Gratitude for mediation
On May 11, "I am scheduled to have a conversation with the Turkish president, Mr. Erdogan. I want to ask him to provide the opportunity for Türkiye to host [peace] talks. Hopefully, he will confirm his willingness to contribute to finding a peaceful solution to the Ukraine [conflict]."
Ankara did a lot for hosting talks between Moscow and Kiev: "As you know, our Turkish colleagues have repeatedly offered their services in organizing such talks. And [Turkish] President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan did much for hosting those."
"I would like to once again express my gratitude for mediation and peace-oriented efforts, undertaken by our foreign partners. This includes China, Brazil, countries of Africa and the Middle East, and, recently, the new administration of the United States of America."
