Putin proposes direct peace talks with Ukraine, says he is open to more ceasefires
Ukraine’s Zelensky said Kyiv was ready for any form of discussion to end attacks on civilian targets
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed on Monday bilateral talks with Ukraine for the first time in years, and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was prepared for any discussion to halt attacks on civilian targets.
Putin and Zelensky face pressure from the United States, which has threatened to walk away from its peace efforts unless some progress is achieved.
Russia and Ukraine have said they are open to further ceasefires after a 30-hour Easter truce declared by Moscow at the weekend. Each side accused the other of violating it.
Talks are scheduled this week in London. Ukraine said on Monday it was sending a delegation to meet officials from the US and European countries. The talks are a follow-up to a Paris meeting last week where the US and European states discussed ways to end the more than three-year-old war.
Putin, speaking to a Russian state TV reporter, said fighting had resumed after the Easter ceasefire, which he announced unilaterally on Saturday. And Moscow, he said, was open to any peace initiatives and expected the same from Kyiv.
“We have always talked about this, that we have a positive attitude towards any peace initiatives. We hope that representatives of the Kyiv regime will feel the same way,” Putin told state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin.