Putin declares that he is willing to hold direct peace negotiations with Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv was keen to discuss a halt to assaults on civilian targets, while Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested on Monday that Russia and Ukraine hold bilateral talks for the first time since the beginning of the conflict.

During his nightly video address, Zelenskiy stressed that Ukraine “was ready for any conversation” about a ceasefire that would halt strikes on civilians, but he did not explicitly answer Putin’s request.

The United States is exerting pressure on the two leaders, threatening to withdraw from its peace initiatives failing to make some headway.

Moscow announced a 30-hour Easter truce over the weekend, and Russia and Ukraine have stated they are amenable to more ceasefires. The opposing side was accused of breaking it by both sides.

On Wednesday in London, Ukraine will participate in negotiations with the United States and European nations, Zelenskiy added. Following a conference in Paris last week, the U.S. and European nations explored methods to put an end to the conflict that has been going on for more than three years.

Putin told a Russian state television reporter that combat had returned following the Easter ceasefire, which he unilaterally declared on Saturday. He added that Kyiv should reciprocate Moscow’s openness to any peace measures.

This has always been discussed, and we are supportive of any peace measures. “We hope that Kyiv regime representatives will share our sentiments,” Putin told Pavel Zarubin, a reporter for state TV.

As reported by Interfax news agency, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “The president had in mind negotiations and discussions with the Ukrainian side when he said that it was possible to discuss the issue of not striking civilian targets, including bilaterally.”

The two parties have not held direct negotiations since the initial weeks of Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

TARGETING CIVILIANS WITH HALTING ATTACKS

During his nightly video address, Zelenskiy stated that Ukraine was prepared to engage in any kind of dialogue in order to fulfill its proposal to stop assaults on civilian targets. In the past, this was presented as a 30-day ceasefire between the United States and Ukraine.

“Ukraine is sticking to its plan to at least avoid hitting civilian targets. Additionally, we anticipate a definitive answer from Moscow,” he stated. “We are ready for any conversation about how to achieve this.”

“The main objective of the London talks is to promote an unconditional ceasefire,” he stated. This has to be the place to start.

A ceasefire without conditions will be “followed by the establishment of a real and lasting peace,” Zelenskiy had stated earlier Saturday.

Washington has stated that a continuation of the weekend truce would be welcomed. During the Easter ceasefire, Zelenskiy claimed that ongoing Russian attacks demonstrated Moscow’s intention to drag out the conflict.

According to Zelenskiy, Ukraine’s troops were also told to keep imitating the Russian army’s tactics.

Ukraine’s measures will continue to be symmetrical: Russian strikes will be retaliated with our own defense, and ceasefire will be met with ceasefire. On X, he stated, “Actions always speak louder than words.”

Both Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Friday that Washington could end the peace negotiations if no progress was made in a few days. Speaking more upbeatly on Sunday, Trump stated that he “hopefully” reached an agreement “this week” between the two parties.

According to Russia, Ukraine must embrace permanent neutrality and give up all the territory it claims to have annexed. Ukraine claims that if Moscow assaults again, it would be left defenseless and would equate to capitulation.

“President Putin is still willing to work toward a peaceful resolution with the Russian side. Naturally, we hope that the work we are doing with the American side will pay off,” Peskov told reporters.