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MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin of Russia said early Sunday that his country is committed to restart direct talks with Kyiv about ending their war, and suggested the next discussions begin May 15 in Turkey.
He said he was scheduled to speak to Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, later Sunday with hopes of holding talks next week in Istanbul. There would be no preconditions on Russia’s part, he said.
Putin said Ukraine walked away from such talks in the past and broke ceasefire agreements, though both sides have been blamed for attacks during the last three ceasefires. He used language that expressed his desire for serious talks with long-term consequences, including long-lasting peace.
Putin’s comments came on the last day of the three-day ceasefire declared by Russia, and almost immediately after leaders from the United Kingdom, France, Poland and Germany threatened to increase sanctions against the nation if he does not accept an unconditional, 30-day ceasefire starting Monday.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made the demand for an unconditional ceasefire in a news briefing, which included over 30 countries that have pledged to strengthen Ukraine. They also joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the memorial of fallen Ukrainian soldiers at independence square in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday.
The leaders said the proposal to start the ceasefire Monday was supported by U.S. President Donald Trump, whom they had briefed over the phone earlier in the day.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The ceasefire aims to enforce a halt to fighting on land, sea and air. The world leaders’ show of force came amid mounting efforts to persuade Moscow to agree to a truce that would allow for peace talks on ending over three years of war.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, said on X on Saturday that such a ceasefire could “start the process for ending the largest and longest war in Europe since World War II.”
Kellogg enlisted a quote from Trump — “stop the killing now” — to bolster his own statement in support of a 30-day ceasefire.
Putin has previously said he wants Ukraine to withdraw from four regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — which Russia illegally annexed shortly after invading Ukraine in February 2022. He has also insisted that Ukraine promise never to join NATO, accept restrictions on the size of its army, and protect Russian culture and language inside the country.
Last week, Putin said Russia had sufficient strength and resources to take the war in Ukraine to its logical conclusion, though he hoped there would be no need to use nuclear weapons.
The Associated Press contributed.
