Zelensky open to Russia’s peace talks proposal – but how will Trump respond ...Middle East

All eyes are now on Donald Trump to see how the US President will respond to Russia’s late-night offer of direct peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey next Thursday.

Volodymyr Zelensky cautiously welcomed Vladimir Putin’s offer to pause fighting but insisted there must first be a full, temporary ceasefire in place before any negotiations can start.

Zelensky, writing on X, said Putin’s counter-offer to start talks without a ceasefire was a “positive sign,” and said “the entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time.”

The Ukrainian leader reiterated that “the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire.”

Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker and has repeatedly promised to end the war, had last month suggested the US could walk away from brokering any peace talks after losing patience with Moscow and Kyiv, but appeared upbeat about the new developments.

The US President, writing on Truth Social several hours after Putin’s remarks, said that it was “a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!”

“I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens. The USA wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!” he added.

“Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending ‘bloodbath’ hopefully comes to an end,” the US President wrote in a later post overnight.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with US President Donald Trump during Pope Francis’s funeral at the Vatican (Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine)

Neither Russia nor Ukraine will want to be seen by Trump as an obstacle to peace after the US President’s threat to “take a pass” on brokering an agreement last month.

Ukraine already succumbed to Trump’s demands, signing a crucial memorandum with the US over a controversial minerals deal at the White House’s insistence.

Trump has publicly shown irritation with both sides. But more recently, since signing the minerals deal with Ukraine to share the proceeds of mineral mining, he has appeared more frustrated with Moscow.

His Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, issued a socal media post suggesting this was still the case and that the US would side with Kyiv that a temporary ceasefire was needed first.

“As President Trump has repeatedly said, stop the killing!!,” Kellogg wrote. “An unconditional 30 day ceasefire first and, during it, move into comprehensive peace discussions. Not the other way around.”

All eyes will now be on how Trump responds to Kyiv and Moscow moving forward and whether he will decide that Putin is simply stringing him along and finding excuses not to agree to a full ceasefire.

Putin’s demands

Putin, whose forces control around one-fifth of Ukraine and are advancing, has stood firm in his conditions for ending the war despite public and private pressure from Trump and repeated warnings from European powers.

With Russian forces grinding forward, the Kremlin chief has offered few, if any, concessions so far.

Zelensky had earlier offered to begin a “full, lasting, and reliable” 30-day unconditional ceasefire from Monday as “there is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day”.

But Putin in his remarks overnight rejected the offer and proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday instead “without preconditions.” He said a ceasefire might be agreed on during the negotiations.

Shortly after Putin’s comments, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters the peace talks must also take into account both an abandoned 2022 draft peace deal and the current situation on the ground – shorthand for Kyiv agreeing to permanent neutrality in return for a security guarantee and accepting that Russia controls swathes of Ukraine.

Putin has been firm that he wants a firm understanding that Ukraine will never join Nato or the European Union – preferring that Ukraine return to Moscow’s orbit and become more submissive towards Moscow like its fellow former Soviet neighbour, Belarus.

The Russian President proposed what he said would be “direct negotiations without any preconditions”, making no mention of the terms later set out by Ushakov.

He said he did not rule out both sides agreeing in Turkey on “some new truces, a new ceasefire” – but one that would be the first step towards a “sustainable” peace.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told France’s Emmanuel Macron in a telephone call on Sunday that Turkey was ready to contribute to peace between Russia and Ukraine, including hosting negotiations to “establish ceasefire and lasting peace.”

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During the call Sunday, Erdogan said a “historic turning point” had been reached in efforts to end the war, according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications office.

The Turkish leader also spoke to Putin on Sunday, his communications office said, and affirmed his readiness to host negotiations “that could lead to a lasting resolution.”

Erdogan also said he welcomed Putin’s statement regarding the resumption of peace talks in Istanbul.

The Kremlin’s counteroffer came after leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Moscow if it does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that they offered on Saturday in a strong show of unity with Kyiv.

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