In a statement at the Kremlin, Putin proposed direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, hours after Kiev and the leaders of France, Germany, Britain, and Poland called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire to begin on May 12.
"We propose that the authorities in Kiev resume the negotiations that were interrupted in 2022, and, I emphasize, without any preconditions," Putin said, as quoted by AFP.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators held direct talks in Istanbul in the first weeks of the conflict but failed to agree on a ceasefire, with fighting continuing since then.
"We propose to start (negotiations) without delay on Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul," Putin said, adding that he would soon speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to ask for his help in facilitating the talks.
Putin said he was "determined to hold serious negotiations with Ukraine" and wanted the talks to "eliminate the root causes of the conflict and establish lasting peace."
Russia's reference to the "root causes" of the conflict usually refers to alleged grievances against Kyiv and the West, which Moscow cited as justification for launching its offensive in February 2022.
These include promises to "denazify" Ukraine, protect Russian speakers in the east of the country, oppose NATO expansion, and halt Ukraine's geopolitical shift toward the West.
Kyiv and the West have rejected all these demands, saying that Russia's offensive is nothing less than imperial annexation.
"We do not rule out that during these negotiations we will be able to agree on a new truce," Putin said.
But he also accused Ukraine's Western supporters of wanting to "continue the war with Russia" and, without mentioning Ukraine and Europe's specific proposal for a 30-day truce, criticized European "ultimatums" and "anti-Russian rhetoric."
The Kremlin speech came hours after French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk gathered in Kyiv in a symbolic gesture of support for Ukraine.
Together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, they pressed Russia to accept a 30-day unconditional ceasefire starting on May 12, threatening Moscow with new sanctions if it did not comply.
The United States and other countries support the proposal, they said.
"We have just decided to support a ceasefire that will begin on Monday, May 12, without any preconditions," Macron said at a press conference.
The leaders also held a video conference with their counterparts from about 20 other member countries of the "coalition of the willing" in support of Ukraine.
"In the event of a violation of this ceasefire, we have agreed that massive sanctions will be prepared and coordinated between the Europeans and the Americans," Macron said.
The United States and Ukraine have been pushing for such a proposal for weeks, which Russia has not accepted.
US President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw from the negotiations due to lack of progress in ending the war, after promising during his election campaign to end the conflict within a day of taking office.
Kiev and its allies feared that Trump was leaning toward Moscow because he had come into conflict with Zelensky. But Trump recently expressed growing impatience with Putin.
"The position we have reached today is absolute unity across a number of countries around the world, including the United States, that there must be a 30-day unconditional ceasefire," said Starmer of the UK.
The five leaders in Kyiv held a "fruitful" phone call with Trump to inform him of the meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Shevchenko said.
"For the first time in a long time, we had the feeling that the whole free world is truly united," Polish Prime Minister Tusk said.
"We know that the real test is ahead of us and ahead of Putin. We will wait for Russia's response."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also backed the truce, which she said "must be respected without preconditions to pave the way for meaningful peace talks."
Macron said the truce would be "mainly" monitored by the United States, but "Europeans will contribute." He said the truce would pave the way for "immediate work and negotiations with the parties concerned to build a stable and lasting peace." | BGNES