President Vladimir Putin has proposed to start peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Putin’s proposal to begin peace talks to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, was welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, he has made it conditional on ceasing hostilities before starting peace talks.
The Russia-Ukraine war is currently the most dangerous situation facing the West and Europe. It is also the biggest confrontation between the West and Russia since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. This is also the largest war in the European continent since World War II. Putin invited Ukraine to participate in peace talks with Russia during a televised speech. Putin proposed to hold peace talks between the two countries in the two countries in Istanbul, Turkey. However, he said that he would not accept any preconditions set by Ukraine before starting the talks.
“Our invitation is for [the Ukrainian capital] Kyiv to meet with us directly for talks without any preconditions. We are extending this invitation to start talks in Istanbul on Thursday [May 15],” Putin said. Putin also said that the purpose of the talks is to establish sustainable peace.
Zelensky and Trump’s welcome
Zelensky has welcomed Putin’s invitation. He said that Putin’s proposal is “a constructive sign that Russia finally wants to end the war.” “We hope that Russia will confirm the cessation of hostilities—which must be complete and sustainable—starting tomorrow, from May 12, Ukraine is ready for the meeting,” he said.
US President Donald Trump has been making the strongest efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Ending the war is one of his presidential promises. Trump welcomed Putin’s call for direct talks with Zelensky. And he described it as the dawn of a new day. “This will be a very important day for Russia and Ukraine! Think about the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved from bloodshed and that this will come to an end,” he said.
Western powers still warning
Putin’s proposal for talks between the two countries to end the war comes at a time when leaders of four European countries have visited the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. These are the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland. Those countries have called on Putin to cease hostilities for a period of 30 days. Western powers have also warned that if that call is ignored, sanctions against Russia will be multiplied many times over.
In addition to Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron has also welcomed Putin’s invitation. However, Macron suspected that this could be a ploy by Putin to gain more time to increase military capabilities. Putin said he would discuss holding Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
During the Russia-Ukraine war, Russian forces have taken control of a large percentage of Ukrainian territory. This includes many towns in the two main regions of eastern Donbas in Ukraine, Luhansk and Donetsk. It also includes some areas of Zaporizhzhia in the south. Russia took control of Crimea, Ukraine’s southernmost region, in 2014.
