In the follow-up to the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin held meetings on May 10 with the leaders of Vietnam, Burkina Faso, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, as well as with the commander of the Libyan National Army.
Then, at the end of their day, on May 11 at 2:00 a.m., he held a press conference. He noted the foreign leaders who attended the Victory Day ceremonies, and particularly thanked those who had attended so despite the pressure from certain countries to boycott the event. He underlined the importance of their visits as a clear indication that Russia is still playing a major role in global affairs. He stressed the meeting he and Chinese President Xi Jinping had held, and the agreements they signed.
Putin also emphasized that the issue of the Ukraine conflict had also been a topic of the discussions. Putin remarked that Ukraine had rejected all the proposals that Russia had put forward: the 30-day moratorium in March on attacks on each other’s energy facilities; the Easter truce; and now, the three-day Victory Day truce. He later pointed out that Ukraine had planned drone attacks on Moscow on Victory Day, but they had been thwarted by Russia’s Aerospace Forces, as were the several attempts by Ukrainian forces to overrun the Russian border in the Kursk and Belgorod regions.
Putin then announced that he was calling for the beginning of peace talks with Ukraine to take place on May 15 in Istanbul, in order to continue what had been interrupted when Ukraine withdrew from them in April 2022. Putin’s move fundamentally undercuts the demand by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Poland’s President Donald Tusk and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a 30-day truce. Putin indicated that the Turkish side had repeatedly said they would be willing to host such talks, and President Erdogan had worked hard on this issue. Putin stated: “Let me reiterate myself: Russia is ready for talks without any preliminary conditions. There are combat actions and war going on now, and we propose to resume negotiations that were not interrupted by us. Well, what’s wrong about it?
“Those who really want peace cannot but support this. At the same time, I would like to express my gratitude once again for the mediation services and efforts aimed at a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis undertaken by our foreign partners, including China, Brazil, African countries, the Middle East, and recently the new Administration of the United States of America.”
After a call with Putin, Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan began getting on the phone with world leaders to discuss the issue. He said Ankara would do everything possible in organizing and carrying out discussions that could lead to a stable peace.
In contrast to the media hype that U.S. President Donald Trump is supporting the European plan, Trump expressed clear support for Putin’s proposal and told the Ukrainians that they should accept Putin’s proposal “immediately.” Trump wrote today on Truth Social: “President Putin of Russia doesn’t want to have a cease fire agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Türkiye, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH. Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY. At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the U.S., will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly! I’m starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with 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. HAVE THE MEETING NOW!!!”
Zelenskyy could hardly refuse the demand from the President of the United States, so he tweeted a “challenge” to Putin to meet him in Türkiye on May 15.
