Erdogan offers to mediate peace talks in Ukraine conflict

What do you need to know?

• Vladimir Putin proposed direct peace talks with Ukraine, which could take place on May 15 in Istanbul.
• President Erdogan declared that Turkey is ready to organize negotiations regarding peace in Ukraine.
• French President Emmanuel Macron described Putin's proposal as a "delaying manoeuvre," emphasizing that it is not a sufficient step towards peace.

Vladimir Putin proposed direct peace talks with Ukraine, which could take place in Istanbul on May 15. Putin's foreign affairs advisor, Yuri Ushakov, noted that the negotiations should consider the situation on the front and be based on the interrupted negotiations from the fall of 2022.

The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a conversation with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, expressed his readiness to organize peace negotiations in Ukraine.

Erdogan emphasized that the current situation is a historic turning point that should be used to end the conflict. Turkey is ready to provide all possible support, including organizing negotiations, to achieve a ceasefire and lasting peace.

French President Emmanuel Macron described Putin's proposal as a "delaying manoeuvre."

According to Macron, although it is a first step towards peace, it is still insufficient. The West has repeatedly accused Russia of playing for time, which, in Macron's opinion, is the goal of the Kremlin's current proposal.

Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke about the negotiations.

"We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire – full, lasting, and reliable – starting tomorrow, May 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet," he conveyed in a statement on Telegram and X.

"It is a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war. The entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time. And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire," wrote Volodymyr Zelensky.