Zelenskyy says it is ‘positive sign’ Russia is considering ending the war
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has just welcomed Vladimir Putin’s proposal for direct talks in Istanbul on Thursday, but said his team is expecting Moscow to agree to a “lasting” ceasefire starting tomorrow.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy, without responding explicitly to Putin’s invitation for talks in Turkey, wrote:
It is a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war.
The entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time. And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire. 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 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet.
Key events
Russia launches drone attack on Ukraine despite Putin’s call for talks
Despite Vladimir Putin’s call for so-called peace talks, Russia on Sunday launched a drone attack on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, injuring one person in the region surrounding the capital and damaging several private homes, Ukrainian officials said.
The attack began around 2am this morning, with Russian forces launching 108 drones (including decoys) from multiple directions, Ukraine’s air force said.
Ukrainian air defence systems had shot down 60 drones launched across the eastern, northern, southern, and central regions of Ukraine as of 09.30am, the country’s air force said.
Another 41 drones were reportedly lost from radar but did not cause damage.
There were no immediate reports of any casualties but Ukraine’s air force said that the Sumy region – which borders on Russia’s Kursk region – suffered as a result of the Russian attack, without elaboration.
‘There can be no dialogue while civilians are being bombed’ – Macron
France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, has responded to Vladimir Putin’s proposal in a post on X this morning.
He wrote:
In Kyiv and alongside President Trump, we made a clear proposal: an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting on Monday. President Zelenskyy committed without setting any condition. We now expect an equally clear response from Russia.
There can be no negotiations while weapons are speaking. There can be no dialogue if, at the same time, civilians are being bombed. A ceasefire is needed now, so that talks can begin. For peace.
Macron, a staunch supporter of Kyiv, has said previously that any peace deal must “not be a surrender of Ukraine” and must be backed up by security guarantees.
Vladimir Putin’s proposal for “direct talks” with Kyiv came hours after leaders from the UK, France, Germany and Poland travelled to Kyiv to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
As my colleague Shaun Walker notes in this story, the European leaders told the Russian president to sign up to an unconditional ceasefire by Monday or face increased sanctions and weapons transfers to Ukraine.
They said the ceasefire proposal was supported by Donald Trump, whom they had briefed over the phone earlier in the day.
France’s president Emmanuel Macron said that the US would take the lead in monitoring the proposed ceasefire, with support from European countries, and threatened “massive sanctions … prepared and coordinated, between Europeans and Americans” should Russia violate the truce.
At a joint press conference, the UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer said the leaders were demanding “an unconditional ceasefire, rejecting Putin’s conditions, and [are] clear that if he turns his back on peace, we will respond”.
Putin rejected the calls for a ceasefire, but said he was ready for direct negotiations with Ukraine.
Zelenskyy says it is ‘positive sign’ Russia is considering ending the war
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has just welcomed Vladimir Putin’s proposal for direct talks in Istanbul on Thursday, but said his team is expecting Moscow to agree to a “lasting” ceasefire starting tomorrow.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy, without responding explicitly to Putin’s invitation for talks in Turkey, wrote:
It is a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war.
The entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time. And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire. 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 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet.
Putin calls for ‘direct talks’ with Ukraine after rejecting ceasefire ultimatum proposed by European leaders
Welcome back to our live coverage of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin has proposed direct talks with Ukraine on 15 May in Istanbul to achieve what he claims could be “the restoration of a long-term, lasting peace” if certain conditions are met.
In a rare televised late-night address from the Kremlin, the Russian president said he wants to address what he calls “the root causes of the conflict”, which will likely include demands that Ukraine will never join Nato.
“We are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,” the Russian leader said.
Putin said that he would speak to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later on Sunday about facilitating the talks.
“Our proposal, as they say, is on the table. The decision is now up to the Ukrainian authorities and their curators, who are guided, it seems, by their personal political ambitions, and not by the interests of their peoples.”
Ukraine has not yet commented on Putin’s proposal but Donald Trump, whom Kyiv is reliant upon for military aid, said this could be a “potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine”, as he vows to “continue to work with both sides”.
Putin put forward the late night proposal after European leaders threatened Moscow with fresh sanctions if Russia failed to comply with an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting tomorrow. He dismissed what he said was the attempt by some European powers to lay down “ultimatums”.
Moscow demanded yesterday that the west must stop arming Kyiv before any ceasefire can start, which would leave Ukraine in an extremely vulnerable position and likely lead to more Russian advances on the battlefield.
Analysts say that Putin is not serious about peace talks and will not agree to a ceasefire.
They see his latest proposal as a way for him to appear serious about peace to Washington but drive a further wedge between the Trump administration, which wants to bring a quick end to the war, and Kyiv, which will look inflexible if it rejects maximalist positions demanded by Moscow the Kremlin knew it would not accept.
