KYIV -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has ignored a call for quick 30-day cease-fire in the Ukraine war and instead offered to hold direct peace talks with Kyiv, possibly in Istanbul on May 15, “without preconditions.”
Speaking to reporters at a middle-of-the-night briefing in Moscow on May 11, Putin offered to “restart” peace talks that were held by Russia and Ukraine in April 2022 -- which was weeks after Russia's full-scale invasion if its western neighbor began on February 24.
"We are determined to have serious negotiations. Their purpose is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict...and establish a long-term, lasting peace in the historical perspective," said Putin, who has often used such phrases to reject Ukraine's desires to join NATO and his insistence that Kyiv remain neutral.
Putin said he would soon speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to seek his help to facilitate the talks in Istanbul.
"We do not exclude that, during these talks, we will be able to agree on some new cease-fire," Putin added.
Shortly after Putin made his remarks, authorities in Kyiv said Russian forces had launched an air attack on the Ukrainian capital.
The local military administration said drones had been launched at Kyiv and that air defenses had responded. Some targets were shot down but no infrastructure was hit.
Authorities said a summer house was struck in the city's suburban Brovary district and that one man was being treated for shock. Five private residences were also damaged in the Obukhiv district.
Putin began his comments at 1:38 a.m. in the Kremlin by hailing Moscow’s Victory Day celebrations marking the end of World War II before moving on to remarks about the Ukraine war.
SEE ALSO: Don't Mention The (Ukraine) War: How Putin Celebrated WWII Victory DayHours after Putin's early morning briefing, US President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social account that it was a "potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!"
"Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end," he added. "It will be a whole new, and much better, WORLD. I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens."
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine or European leaders.
Hours earlier in Kyiv, the leaders of Germany, France, Poland, and Britain joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in pressing for an unconditional 30-day cease-fire in Russia's war against Ukraine, warning Moscow that it would face "massive" new sanctions if balked at the proposed truce.
The leaders said they had agreed that the cease-fire should begin on May 12.
SEE ALSO: European Leaders, Ukraine Press Russia For A 30-Day Cease-Fire, Starting May 12Putin did not directly mention the call for a cease-fire by the European leaders in his early morning remarks.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Zelenskyy, and British and Polish prime ministers Keir Starmer and Donald Tusk announced the proposal after a meeting in Kyiv on May 10. They spoke to Trump by phone following the talks.
"So all of us here together with the US are calling Putin out. If he is serious about peace, then he has a chance to show it," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at a news conference. "No more ifs and buts, no more conditions and delays."
"If he turns his back on peace, we will respond. Working with President Trump, with all our partners, we will ramp up sanctions and increase our military aid for Ukraine's defense," said Starmer, who also stated that the plan calls for the cease-fire to begin on May 12.
SEE ALSO: Ukraine's Cemeteries Fill Up As War Deaths Climb, Funeral Costs SoarThe New York Times quoted an unidentified senior US official as saying Trump supported the Europeans' proposal for new sanctions if a cease-fire were not in place by May 12.
Macron said: "We have just now...decided to support a cease-fire which will begin [May 12], without any preconditions."
Before the visit, the four European leaders promised they would "stand in Kyiv in solidarity with Ukraine against Russia’s barbaric and illegal full-scale invasion," now well into its fourth year.
In a statement published on the British government website, they reiterated their support for Trump’s call for an agreement to end the war and urged Russia “to stop obstructing efforts to secure a lasting peace.”
In his Kremlin comments, Putin continually accused Kyiv of breaking previous cease-fire agreements, including one the Russian president had called for on May 8-10 surrounding Russia’s Victory Day celebrations marking the end of World War II.
Despite the Kremlin call for that three-day cease-fire, Russia continued to carry out attacks on Ukrainian forces and civilian infrastructure. Kyiv said it would respect the cease-fire only if Russia did, but also said it sought a longer truce, one of at least 30 days.
SEE ALSO: Ukrainian Soldier Regains Speech After Losing Part Of His SkullTrump ran for president on a promise to end the war quickly. In an interview with NBC News that aired on May 4, he expressed hope a peace deal could still be reached while also suggesting his patience with both Ukraine and Russia was limited.
“There will be a time when I will say, ‘OK, keep going. Keep being stupid and keep fighting,’” he said.
In early May, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said if there isn't a real breakthrough on the war in Ukraine in the near future, Trump will have to decide how much more time to dedicate to the negotiation process.
Many analysts have said Putin is not interested in a quick cease-fire because the Russian leader believes he is winning the war and that time is on his side, encouraging him to drag out cease-fire talks rather than reject them outright so as not to anger Trump.
Putin, during his remarks on May 11, also hailed the presence of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine, saying they helped fight Kyiv’s forces that had made a stunning incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
Unable to secure a decisive victory, Moscow has turned elsewhere for men and materiel to continue the war -- most notably, North Korea.
SEE ALSO: North Korea's Kim Parades New Drones Amid Reports It's Sent More Troops To RussiaLate in 2024, around 11,000 North Korean troops were deployed to fight alongside Russian troops, mainly in the Kursk border region, which Ukraine invaded last summer, embarrassing the Kremlin. Russian commanders have credited the troops with success in mostly pushing Ukraine’s forces out of Kursk.
Putin also referred to talks conducted in Istanbul in late March 2022, shortly after Russia realized its blitz attack on Ukraine was stalling. Kyiv left the talks after being handed an ultimatum, which to this day Moscow is presenting as Ukraine's blunder and unwillingness to talk.