After Three Years of War, President Putin Calls for Direct Peace Talks with Ukraine; President Donald Trump Voices Support

After Three Years of War, President Putin Calls for Direct Peace Talks with Ukraine; President Donald Trump Voices Support

[Moscow, May 11, 2025] – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed direct peace talks with Ukraine, suggesting that the negotiations could take place on May 15 in Istanbul, Turkey, with the goal of achieving a permanent and sustainable peace. U.S. President Donald Trump has welcomed the initiative.

The war began in February 2022 when Putin sent thousands of troops into Ukraine, sparking what is considered the most serious conflict between Russia and the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. For years, Putin made few concessions toward peace, but now he says the aim of the talks is to address the root causes of the war—not merely to use a ceasefire as a temporary delay.

“We are calling on Kyiv to enter into direct, unconditional negotiations,” Putin said early Sunday morning in a statement from the Kremlin.

“We propose that the talks begin this Thursday in Istanbul.”

He added that he would speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday to make arrangements for the negotiations. According to Putin, Ukraine and its Western allies have been ignoring the interests of the people in pursuit of their own political ambitions.

The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump called Putin’s proposal a positive step.

“This could be a great day for Russia and Ukraine!” Trump wrote.
“If this endless bloodshed can be stopped, hundreds of thousands of lives could be saved.”

Putin’s peace offer came just hours after top European leaders visited Kyiv, calling for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and threatening “massive” new sanctions.

Putin dismissed the European leaders’ proposal as “extremist conditions,” stating that Russia had previously offered several ceasefires—particularly to avoid strikes on energy infrastructure, during the Easter period, and more recently a 72-hour ceasefire in honor of the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II.

He concluded that while the talks might result in a new ceasefire or a temporary peace agreement, his ultimate goal is to take “a first step toward lasting peace.”