Europe Threatens More Sanctions as Putin Calls for Ukraine Talks on May 15 | WPN World People News

Putin Proposes Direct, Unconditional Talks with Ukraine on May 15; Europe Threatens More Sanctions Without Ceasefire

On May 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed holding direct, "unconditional" talks with Ukraine to end the war that has dragged on for more than three years. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded cautiously, calling it a "positive signal" and stating that Kyiv is open to dialogue—but only if Russia agrees to a ceasefire first.

On May 10, European leaders issued a joint statement demanding that Russia implement an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting Monday (May 12), warning that failure to comply would result in broader economic sanctions from Europe and the United States. Putin, however, did not respond to the ceasefire demand. Instead, he said he was willing to hold direct talks with Ukraine on Thursday (May 15) in Turkey. Many observers interpreted this sudden public call as a possible attempt by Russia to delay action and avoid new sanctions.

Europe's response was firm. Leaders made it clear that negotiations cannot resume without a ceasefire. German Chancellor Merz stated, "Negotiations cannot begin while the guns are still firing." Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the international community is still waiting for Russia to make the right decision on an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire." UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed this sentiment: "Together with the United States, we demand that Putin—if he is serious about peace—must show that commitment immediately."

Putin claimed that it was Kyiv, not Russia, that violated the 2022 agreement. Nevertheless, he said, "We propose to resume direct dialogue with Kyiv without any preconditions. We are willing to restart negotiations on Thursday in Istanbul." Despite the offer, Putin continued to accuse Ukraine of being the party responsible for the collapse of ceasefire talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump also weighed in on May 11, expressing doubt that Ukraine would actually reach an agreement with Putin. He urged Zelensky to accept the meeting, emphasizing that only by participating in talks can it be determined whether an agreement is possible. He added that the U.S. and its allies could then respond accordingly to help end the "bloody massacre" as soon as possible.

Following Trump’s statement, Zelensky quickly posted that he would personally attend the talks on May 15 and would wait for Putin in Turkey. However, he reiterated, “The first step to ending the war is a ceasefire,” and expressed hope that Russia would not find another excuse to back out. If the meeting takes place, it will mark the first direct talks between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine since the war began.