Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed Russia's direct peace talks on Sunday, but insisted that there must be a complete temporary ceasefire before the negotiations begin.
Zelenskyy wrote on X that the counterattack by Russian President Vladimir Putin starting negotiations without a ceasefire was a “positive signal” and said “the whole world has been waiting for a long time.”
He added, “The first step to truly ending any war is a ceasefire.”
Meanwhile, Russia, which claimed to have expired for a three-day pause, resumed a massive Ukrainian drone attack earlier on Sunday.
The Ukrainian Air Force said on Sunday that Russia launched 108 attack drones and simulator drones from six different directions. It said that 60 drones were shot down due to Ukraine’s countermeasures and another 41 simulator drones failed to reach their targets.
The Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of “violating” Moscow's three-day ceasefire more than 14,000 times on Sunday. Ukraine also accused Russia of violating its truce, which Ukrainian Foreign Minister called a farce.
Ukraine disagrees with Russia's unilateral announcement of a ceasefire from May 8 to 10 and accuses Russia of repeatedly violating it.
The Ukrainian president appears to stick to his proposal to unconditional ceasefires starting on Monday. “Even a day's killing doesn't make any sense. We hope Russia will confirm a ceasefire from tomorrow, May 12 – full, lasting and reliable – Ukraine is ready.”
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In his speech to the media overnight, Putin effectively rejected the “cease-fire proposal” and proposed “no prerequisites” to hold direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday.
He said a consensus ceasefire could be reached in the negotiations.
Putin's anti-union is an unconditional ceasefire proposed on Saturday in a solidarity show with Kiev if leaders from four major European countries threaten to put pressure on Moscow if it does not accept Ukraine's 30-day ceasefire.
Hours after Putin's speech, U.S. President Donald Trump said, “This could be a great day for Russia and Ukraine!”
“I will continue to work with both parties to make sure that happens,” he added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Putin's proposal “very serious” in comments aired on Sunday on Russian state television and said it was indeed intended to “find a peaceful solution.”
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“The goal of the negotiation is clear: to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and ensure the interests of the Russian Federation,” Peskov said.
Turkey is ready to contribute to the peace between Russia and Ukraine, including presided over the negotiations, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told France's Emmanuel Macron over the phone.
Erdogan said on Sunday's call that a “historic turning point” had been reached, according to a statement from the Turkish President's Office of Communications.
His communications office said the Turkish leader also spoke with Putin on Sunday and confirmed that he was ready to preside over the negotiations “could lead to a lasting resolution.”
Erdogan also said he welcomed Putin's statement on the resumption of peace talks in Istanbul.
