Russia has agreed to direct talks in Istanbul to end the war but has conditions.

On May 11, Vladimir Putin proposed holding direct peace talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul. According to him, the talks should take place without preconditions and will be aimed at “achieving a lasting peace” and “eliminating the root causes of the war.”

President Zelenskyy, in response, noted that he was waiting for confirmation from the Russian side of a complete ceasefire beginning May 12 and emphasized that Ukraine was ready to meet.

US President Donald Trump, after the meeting of the coalition of the willing in Kyiv and Putin’s proposal to initiate direct talks with Kyiv, said it was a “potentially big day for Russia and Ukraine.” He added that he would continue to work with both sides and that the coming week would be “big.”

Meanwhile, the Kremlin clarified that they want talks to consider the results of the discussions in 2022 and the situation “on the ground.” Earlier, the Kremlin said that Russia would agree to a temporary ceasefire if Western allies stopped supplying weapons to Ukraine, and Putin wants to see “certain dynamics” on the battlefield.

As a result of latest developments, Turkish President Recep Erdogan agreed to host talks between Russia and Ukraine.