Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Photo: Reuters/Maxim Shemetov

i24 News – In a surprise statement from the Kremlin on Sunday, Vladimir Putin proposed to engage in direct negotiations with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul. This initiative comes after three years of a deadly conflict that has caused the most serious crisis between Russia and the West since the Cuban missile crisis in 1962.

“We propose to Kyiv to resume direct negotiations without any precondition,” said the Russian president, specifying that he would speak with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to facilitate the organization of this meeting.

This offer comes a few hours after several European powers demanded Moscow accept an unconditional, 30-day ceasefire or face “massive sanctions.” Putin has dismissed what he considers to be “ultimatums” – “Our proposal is on the table. The decision now belongs to the Ukrainian authorities and their guardians, who seem guided by their personal political ambitions and not by the interests of their people,” he said.

The Russian leader claimed that it was not Moscow who broke off negotiations in 2022, referring to a proposed agreement envisaging permanent neutrality of Ukraine in exchange for international security guarantees from the permanent members of the UN Security Council.

In June 2024, Putin stipulated conditions for the end of the conflict, including the Ukraine officially renounce its NATO membership ambitions and the withdrawal of its troops from the four Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia. This diplomatic initiative comes as the Trump administration claims to want to put an end to the “bloodbath” in Ukraine.