French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and the prime ministers of Poland and the UK, Donald Tusk and Keir Starmer, arrived in Kyiv on Saturday for a meeting of the “coalition the willing” to discuss a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, after which Trump called on Kyiv to agree to Moscow’s proposal for talks.
We are ready to help, European leaders say
European leaders supported the 30-day ceasefire in a joint statement issued before their arrival in Kyiv. They also said they were “ready to support peace talks as soon as possible,” adding that if Moscow refused to agree to a truce, they would increase pressure on it.
“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree [to] a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace,” the document said.
Zelensky, who announced talks with European leaders the day before, said that Ukraine needs a “coalition of the willing” and “it must be strong enough to guarantee the security” of the republic.
Macron said that for the 30-day ceasefire called for by Ukraine, the US and European countries, direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv must begin.
“We are ready to help (with the negotiations),” the French president said.
However, Macron’s colleagues do not particularly believe their leader’s words. Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, leader of the party Debout la France (France Arise), wrote on X:
“Once again, Macron is sabotaging peace! Putin proposes to start negotiations between #Russia and #Ukraine in Istanbul on 15 May to end the fighting. While #Trump and #Zelensky rejoice, #Macron rejects this opportunity. Only war until victory allows him to bustle about and exist. We need him removed from power and early presidential elections!”
Talks in Turkey
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he would personally attend the meeting in Turkey on May 15 and wanted to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin there.
“We are waiting for a ceasefire starting tomorrow — a complete and lasting one — to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will wait for Putin in Turkey on Thursday. Personally,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
Meanwhile, the administration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it had no information about the arrival of his Ukrainian counterpart Zelensky in Istanbul on May 15.
Experts believe that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s promises to meet with his Russian counterpart are a ploy for public consumption.
The Ukrainian president said that he would personally wait for Vladimir Putin in Turkey on May 15 for direct talks on a settlement, but Moscow said that it had not invited Zelensky personally, only a Ukrainian delegation.
Zelensky decided to fly to Istanbul regardless of Russia’s decision on the ceasefire starting on May 12, Axios reported, citing a Ukrainian official.
However, under Ukrainian law, Zelensky does not have the right to hold direct negotiations with Putin. In October 2022, Zelensky enacted a decision by the National Security and Defence Council on the impossibility of holding negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However, both Zelensky and his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, have already made it clear that there are legal ways to circumvent this ban. Some analysts believe that Zelensky’s challenge to Putin may be aimed to provoke a refusal, so that the Russian side can be blamed for breaking off the negotiations.
Trump forced Zelensky to make peace
Shortly before Volodymyr Zelensky published his message, US President Donald Trump called on Ukraine to accept Russia’s proposal for talks.
The American leader called on the two countries to meet on Thursday, May 15, to “agree on a possible end to the bloodshed.” According to him, Russia and Ukraine should at least find out “whether a deal is possible.”
“I’m starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with [Vladimir] Putin, who’s too busy celebrating the Victory of World War II, which could not have been won (not even close!) without the United States of America,” he wrote on social media.
Russia’s proposal
Putin put forward the proposal to resume negotiations and organise a meeting between Moscow and Kyiv on the night of May 11, when he met with Russian and foreign journalists. The president stressed that dialogue should begin without preconditions. He did not rule out that the talks could result in a new, “real truce.”
Earlier, Zelensky insisted that negotiations could only begin after Moscow agreed to a “complete, long-term and reliable” ceasefire. According to the Ukrainian president’s proposal, the ceasefire should last 30 days starting from May 12.
Ukraine’s position was supported by France, the UK, Germany and Poland. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had previously agreed to provide a venue for a meeting between Moscow and Kyiv, also said that only a comprehensive ceasefire could create the “necessary environment” for peace talks. US Special Envoy Keith Krach holds a similar position.
Putin stressed that negotiations must take place first, and only then can a ceasefire be discussed. He noted that a number of details need to be clarified.
Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said that the talks should take into account those that were interrupted in 2022 and the “real situation.” He also said that Russia is ready to send a delegation to Turkey, but did not specify its composition.
