How did Zelensky respond to Putin's proposal for direct negotiations?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the country is ready to take an important step toward achieving full and long-term peace with Russia. On his Telegram channel, he wrote that he hopes the Russian side will agree to a complete, reliable, and long-term ceasefire starting from May 12.

“It is a good sign that the Russians have finally started thinking about ending the war. The international community has been eagerly awaiting this for a long time. The first important step toward truly ending the war is a full ceasefire,” said Zelensky in his statement.

The head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, also confirmed that they are ready to implement the ceasefire for an initial period of 30 days and emphasized that this process would continue with peace negotiations:

“First, a 30-day truce, and then all issues will be discussed for the sake of peace,” said Yermak.

It should be noted that neither Zelensky nor Yermak specifically addressed the direct negotiations proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in their statements.

Earlier, on May 10, a meeting was held in Kyiv with French President Emmanuel Macron and leaders of EU countries. As a result of this meeting, Kyiv officials officially announced that starting from May 12, they are ready to unconditionally and fully cease all military operations on land, in the air, and at sea for a minimum of 30 days. U.S. President Donald Trump also supported this initiative.

However, no clear response has yet been given from the Russian side. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow is considering the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, while also emphasizing that international pressure on Russia is ineffective.

Following this, on the night of May 11, Vladimir Putin held a special press conference and proposed restarting direct negotiations with Kyiv in Istanbul on May 15. However, in his speech, Putin did not express a clear stance on the 30-day ceasefire initiative put forward by Ukraine and European countries.

According to analysts, if these negotiations take place, it could be an important step toward resolving the long-term military conflict between the two countries through peaceful means. The international community, meanwhile, is waiting for new peace initiatives from both Moscow and Kyiv.

Zamin.uz editorial staff will continue to monitor the developments and regularly inform its readers about the peace process.

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