Putin proposed direct talks with Kyiv on May 15 in Istanbul

Vladimir Putin stated that he is ready to negotiate a ceasefire only through direct talks with Ukraine.

He made the announcement during an address to journalists.

Putin proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul, where talks were last held and suspended in 2022.

“We propose to begin on Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul—where they were interrupted in 2022,” he said.

He also noted that he would speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tomorrow regarding the matter.

“We are ready for serious negotiations with Ukraine,” the Kremlin leader added.

Russia will send a delegation to Istanbul to organize the talks with Ukraine, according to Putin’s advisor Yuri Ushakov, who said the delegation’s composition will be announced later.

Putin also accused Ukraine of violating the March moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure, as well as breaking the Easter ceasefire.

He claimed that Ukraine ignored the proposal for a ceasefire from May 8 to May 10 and carried out “five attempted incursions across the Russian border in the Kursk and Belgorod regions.”

In a notable departure from previous language, Putin directly called the conflict a war:

“Combat operations are ongoing—it is a war,” he said.

With that statement, Putin effectively rejected Ukraine and Europe’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire starting Monday, which had been discussed earlier in the day.

As a reminder, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he would only agree to direct negotiations with Russia after a ceasefire is implemented.

Separately, Putin accused European leaders of communicating with Russia in a “language of ultimatums.”