(Al Jazeera Media Network) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he hopes for a ceasefire with Russia starting on Monday and says “I will be waiting for Putin” in Turkiye personally, referring to the Russian president’s offer for direct peace talks in Istanbul.
Earlier on Sunday, Zelenskyy insisted there must be a full, temporary ceasefire in place before the negotiations proposed by Putin could start.
Zelenskyy, writing on X on Sunday, said it was a “positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war” and “the entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time.”
He added, however, that “the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire,” in a reference to his proposal to start a 30-day unconditional truce on Monday.
“There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day. We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire – full, lasting, and reliable – starting tomorrow, May 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet,” Zelenskyy wrote.
In remarks to the media overnight, Putin in effect rejected that ceasefire offer and instead proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday “without preconditions”. He said a ceasefire might be agreed on during the negotiations.