Zelenskyy welcomes Russian overtures, but says ceasefire must come before peace talks

KYIV, Ukraine — 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, called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s counter-offer to start talks without a ceasefire a “positive sign,” 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 truly ending any war is a ceasefire.”

Meanwhile, Russia resumed mass drone attacks in Ukraine early on Sunday, after its self-declared 3-day pause expired.

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

The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday accused Ukraine of “violating” Moscow’s three-day ceasefire more than 14,000 times. Ukraine has also accused Russia of violating its own truce, with the Ukrainian foreign minister calling it a farce.

Ukraine did not agree to the May 8-10 ceasefire Russia unilaterally declared and accused Russia of repeatedly violating it.

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.

Putin’s counteroffer 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 that they offered on Saturday in a strong show of unity with Kyiv.

In a social media post several hours after Putin’s remarks, U.S. President Donald 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.

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

“The goals of the talks are clear: to eliminate the root causes of the conflict. And also to ensure the interests of the Russian Federation,” Peskov said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told France’s Emmanuel Macron in a telephone call that Turkey was ready to contribute to peace between Russia and Ukraine, including hosting negotiations to “establish ceasefire and lasting peace.”

During the call Sunday, Erdogan said a “historic turning point” had been reached in efforts to end the war, according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications office.