Ukraine’s Zelenskyy welcomes Russian offer for peace talks but says ceasefire must come first

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday welcomed Russia’s offer for direct peace talks, but insisted there must be a full, temporary ceasefire in place before negotiations can start.

Zelenskyy, writing on X, said it was a “positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider” ending the conflict and said that “the entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time.”

He added, however, that “the very first step” in ending any conflict “is a ceasefire.” 

British Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson, speaking on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” warned Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s calls for a ceasefire proposal “doesn’t seem serious to us.” 

“At face value, it’s constructive that he’s offered direct talks,” Mandelson said. “But then, when you look at the small print, you see that he wants these talks so as to call into question the very existence of Ukraine as a free, Democratic and sovereign nation.”

Meanwhile, Russia resumed mass drone attacks in Ukraine early on Sunday, after its self-declared three-day pause expired.

Russia launched 108 attack drones and simulator drones from six different directions, Ukraine’s air force said. It said 60 drones were shot down and another 41 simulator drones failed to reach targets due to Ukrainian countermeasures.

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, the vice chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, said Sunday on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that Putin is “not making any concessions at all, while Mr. Zelenskyy seems to be making all the concessions.” 

“If the bottom line is Putin has to agree to a 30-day ceasefire for any peace talks to go forward,” McCaul said. “We want peace, but not peace at any price. Because peace at any price is like appeasement, like we saw with Chamberlain and Hitler, and that’s unacceptable.” 

The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday accused Ukraine of “violating” Moscow’s three-day ceasefire more than 14,000 times. Ukraine, which did not agree to the May 8-10 ceasefire, has also accused Russia of violating its own truce, with the Ukrainian foreign minister calling it a farce.

The Ukrainian president appeared to insist on his proposal to start a 30-day unconditional ceasefire on Monday. “There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day. We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire — full, lasting, and reliable — starting tomorrow, May 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet,” Zelenskyy said.

Putin in remarks to the media overnight effectively rejected that ceasefire offer and proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday instead “without preconditions.” He said a ceasefire might be agreed on during the negotiations.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday spoke to Macron and Putin and told them in separate phone calls that Turkey was ready to host the peace talks. He also said that a “historic turning point” had been reached in efforts to end the conflict, according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications office.

Putin’s counter-offer came after leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Moscow if it does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Saturday and issued a coordinated call for a 30-day ceasefire starting Monday. The plan has received backing from both the European Union and U.S. President Trump.

In a social media post several hours after Putin’s overnight remarks about peace talks, Mr. Trump said it was “a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!”

“I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens. The USA wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!” he added.

U.S. ambassador Ukraine Oksana Markarova, appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” praised Mr. Trump’s “idea of full and unconditional ceasefire” as a “great idea,” but she warned “the killings have to stop.”

“President Zelenskyy today already said that, yes, Ukraine is ready to negotiate, but he put a special emphasis on ceasefire, the idea that both he and President Trump strongly supports,” Markarova said. 

Macron said Sunday that Putin’s offer of direct negotiations with Ukraine is “a first step, but not enough,” signaling continued Western skepticism toward Moscow’s intentions.

“An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations,” Macron told reporters at the Polish-Ukrainian border, according to French media.

Macron also warned that Putin is “looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in comments aired by Russian state TV on Sunday, called Putin’s proposal “very serious,” aimed at eliminating “the root causes of the conflict,” and said it “confirms a real intention for find a peaceful solution.”