Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed holding direct talks with Ukraine for the first time in years, a move that follows mounting pressure from the United States to show a real interest in peace. The statement comes days after Moscow’s one-day Easter truce failed to hold.
Speaking to Russian state television on Monday, Putin said Russia was still open to peace initiatives and could discuss refraining from strikes on civilian targets, even bilaterally with Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov clarified the comment, telling Russian media that Putin had in mind “negotiations and discussions with the Ukrainian side.” The remarks follow a short-lived, 30-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend, which both countries accused each other of violating.
Kyiv had largely dismissed the Russian truce as a political ploy. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instead proposed a 30-day ceasefire targeting civilian infrastructure — a proposal that has so far gone unanswered by Moscow.
"Actions always speak louder than words," Zelenskyy wrote on X, saying that Ukrainian forces would mirror Russia’s military posture: strikes would be met with strikes, and ceasefire with ceasefire.
Zelenskyy confirmed that a Ukrainian delegation would travel to London this week for talks with the United States, Britain, and France. The meeting follows last week’s gathering in Paris, part of a wider effort to secure a ceasefire and eventual peace. While the Ukrainian president made no direct reference to Putin’s offer, he said Kyiv was “ready to move forward as constructively as possible.”
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been leading Washington’s mediation effort, warned on Friday that the U.S. could pull out of talks if both sides fail to show progress. However, on Sunday he struck a more hopeful tone, saying a breakthrough could come "this week."
Moscow has yet to shift its demands, including Ukraine’s formal recognition of territories Russia claims to have annexed and a commitment to neutrality — conditions Kyiv continues to reject.
Despite Sunday passing without air raid sirens in Ukraine, Zelenskyy said Russian forces had violated the truce nearly 3,000 times, with the worst attacks focused on the Pokrovsk region. Russia claimed more than 900 drone strikes and hundreds of artillery rounds from Ukraine, saying civilians had been killed or wounded.
Though both sides are talking about peace, the battlefield tells a different story. Whether the upcoming London summit changes that remains to be seen.
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The Left Party won Sunday's Berlin state election with 25.5 per cent of the vote in the preliminary result, ahead of the Christian Democra...
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Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
Russian authorities have reported attacks on voting systems and communication lines as the country’s parliamentary election entered its second day on Saturday (19 September).
The Left Party won Sunday's Berlin state election with 25.5 per cent of the vote in the preliminary result, ahead of the Christian Democrats (CDU) on 19.1 per cent. This marks a major shift in the city's political landscape and a setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's ruling coalition.
A group of French nationals, suspected of belonging to the Islamic State (IS), on trial in Iraq could face execution, a member of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council told a hearing in Baghdad on Sunday.
Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Service has said.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has prepared sanctions targeting the entire International Criminal Court (ICC) and could announce them soon, escalating Washington's efforts to pressure the global tribunal.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged closer ties on Sunday as they sought to strengthen cooperation on geopolitical tensions, climate change, energy and the protection of democratic values.
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