Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed direct talks with Ukraine in the Turkish city of Istanbul on May 15, ‘without preconditions’ to achieve ‘lasting peace’ and ‘eliminate the root causes’ of the three-year conflict.The offer, delivered early on Sunday, came hours after the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire to start on Monday.’We are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,’ the Russian president told reporters. ‘We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul.’Putin said he was ‘committed to serious negotiations with Ukraine’ and that he wanted talks to ‘eliminate the root causes of the conflict and to establish a long-lasting peace.’The Russian leader said the proposed talks should be held in the Turkish city of Istanbul, as they have been before, and that he would speak to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday to discuss the details.There was no immediate response from Ukraine to the proposal.But Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously said he was ready for peace talks, but only after a ceasefire is in place.
