Zelensky says Ukraine ready to meet for talks in Istanbul if Moscow agrees to ‘full and lasting’ ceasefire

Ukraine is ready to attend direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in Istanbul, proposed by Vladimir Putin the previous night, if Russia agrees to a “full, lasting and reliable” ceasefire starting on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday morning.

“This is a good sign that the Russians are finally thinking about ending the war. Everyone in the world has been expecting this for a long time,” Zelensky wrote, adding that “the very first step in actually ending any war is a ceasefire”.

“There is no point in continuing the killing even for a day,” Zelensky continued.

Zelensky’s statement followed Putin’s overnight address in the early hours of Monday, in which he offered to hold talks “without preconditions” in Istanbul on 15 May.

Putin did not directly mention the Europe- and US-brokered proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting Monday, which, if rejected, would see them jointly introduce new “massive” sanctions against Russia, but he accused Europe of not giving up its “anti-Russian rhetoric” and trying to talk to Moscow “in a boorish manner and with the help of ultimatums”.

Putin also accused Kyiv of “sabotaging” Moscow’s previous ceasefire attempts, including the 30-hour Easter “truce” proposed by Russia in April and the unilateral three-day ceasefire declared by Putin on 8 May, which expired in the early hours of Sunday as Russia barraged Ukraine with over 100 drones.

Zelensky had previously poured scorn on Moscow’s short-lived ceasefire proposals, insisting on a 30-day ceasefire instead, “because it’s impossible to reach any agreements in three, five, or even seven days”, and noting that Russia was “attempting to create the overall impression of a ceasefire, while continuing to make individual attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine”.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, whose administration threatened to walk away from the Russia-Ukraine peace process earlier in May should a breakthrough not be reached soon, welcomed Putin’s proposal in a Truth Social post on Sunday. “A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine! Think of the hundreds of lives that will be saved as this never ending bloodbath hopefully comes to an end,” he wrote.

In more cautious comments reported by France 24, French President Emmanuel Macron said that while Putin’s offer was “a first step”, it was “not enough”, insisting that Putin was “looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time”.