RT reported that on May 12, Russian Foreign Ministry Special Envoy Rodion Miroshnik said that Ukraine's reactions to Russia's proposal for unconditional peace negotiations showed that President Volodymyr Zelensky is considering this an opportunity to reorganize weapons and strengthen military forces.
Previously, on the evening of May 10 (local time), Russian President Vladimir Putin continued to express his willingness to negotiate directly with Ukraine. He even suggested specific locations and times for the discussions, starting on May 15 in the Turkish capital Istanbul.
President Putin affirmed that Russia will not put any preconditions in the process of direct dialogue with Ukraine, and expressed his hope that the negotiations will take place seriously.
In his speech that evening, Mr. Putin also said that Kiev had violated three ceasefire orders proposed by Russia, including: a 30-day ceasefire mediated by the US (expired last month), a ceasefire on the occasion of Christmas and a 72-hour ceasefire on Victory Day May 9. He also accused Ukraine of trying to threaten foreign leaders attending the celebration in Moscow.
Mr Zelensky later responded that, in order to sit at the negotiations table, Russia must first agree to a 30-day ceasefire, starting from May 12. According to RT, this condition was made after a meeting between Mr. Zelensky and a number of European leaders in the capital Kiev, on May 11.
The Kremlin immediately rejected the proposal, saying it was the result of external pressure. Russia has also warned that a temporary holddown could be taken advantage of by Kiev to reinforce its forces.
Returning to the assessment of Special Envoy Miroshnik, Mr. Miroshnik said that this is not a suitable reaction to an unconditional negotiation proposal. Mr. Miroshnik also pointed out the paradox when Mr. Zelensky still deliberately conditions a process that President Putin has affirmed as not having decisive conditions.
Moscow has previously repeatedly said it is ready for peace talks at any time, provided that the solution is to address the root causes of the conflict.
In the latest developments, according to Reuters, President Zelensky is said to be ready to meet President Putin in Turkey after US President Donald Trump publicly asked the Ukrainian leader to immediately accept the proposal for direct negotiations from the Russian leader.
In an article on social network X posted on May 12, Mr. Zelensky wrote: "I will wait for Mr. Putin in Turkey on May 15. My own body". However, he reiterated the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire as a condition for negotiations.
