Putin received a clear answer to his proposal to start direct negotiations with Ukraine: first he must agree to an immediate ceasefire, Presidents Zelensky and Macron and Chancellor Merz are categorical.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has come up with a counter-proposal to the request of several European heads of state and government and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. Instead, the Russian president has proposed starting direct negotiations with Ukraine, but without, however, silencing the weapons. According to Putin, such negotiations could begin as early as next week in Istanbul.
The Ukrainian president saw this as a positive sign. It seems that the Russians have finally started thinking about ending the war - something the whole world has been waiting for for a long time, Zelensky wrote on the X platform. "The first step towards ending any war is a ceasefire. We expect Russia to confirm the ceasefire from tomorrow, May 12 - completely, permanently and reliably. Ukraine is ready to reach an agreement," Zelensky specified.
However, other voices in Ukraine sounded much more skeptical. Opposition politician Yaroslav Zheleznyak called on Ukraine's Western supporters to further increase pressure on Russia. The prevailing opinion in the Ukrainian media is that Putin is again trying to buy time with "delay tactics".
Macron and Merz: There can be no negotiations without a ceasefire
French President Emmanuel Macron also reacted cautiously to Putin's proposal. The news reached him shortly before his return from the capital Kiev, where, together with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, he expressed his solidarity with Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia three years ago.
"There can be no negotiations while the guns are talking. There can be no dialogue if civilians are being bombed at the same time", Macron also wrote in X. The French leader recalled that US President Donald Trump had also supported the Europeans' proposal for an unconditional ceasefire lasting at least 30 days, and the Ukrainian president had accepted it without setting any conditions of his own. "Now we expect an equally clear response from Russia", Macron specified.
The signals from Moscow are not enough for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz either. "If the Russian side is now signaling readiness for talks, this is initially a good sign. But this is by no means enough," Merz said. He expects Moscow "to now agree to a ceasefire, which will first of all make real negotiations possible. First the guns must fall silent, and then negotiations can begin," the German chancellor was categorical.
Trump: "big week" ahead in efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine
US President Donald Trump expressed confidence that the end of the war in Ukraine could be near amid renewed attempts to reach a ceasefire, DPA reported.
"Potentially a great day for Russia and Ukraine," Trump wrote on his social platform Truth Social. "Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved when this endless bloodbath, hopefully, is over."
The president also said that he "will continue to work with both sides" to create a "brand new and much better world", adding that "a big week is ahead."
Putin sticks to his preconditions
According to ARD correspondent Vasily Golod, Putin's approach is logical: he is simulating diplomacy in order to continue waging war. For years, the Russian leader has pretended to be ready to negotiate. However, he has not responded at all to the demands for a ceasefire from the Europeans and Zelensky.
The German publication also recalls that Putin demanded numerous concessions before a peace agreement could be reached, including that Ukraine give up the territories occupied by Russia, as well as Crimea, not become part of NATO and be demilitarized. In the long term, Putin also wants a new Ukrainian leadership, although he now seems ready to negotiate with Zelensky.