Russian Shelling and Prokudin: “We have finally begun to discuss the end of the three-year war“, says U.S. Vice Premier A.M. Merz
Russia in November gave the U.S. brief advance warning before striking Ukraine for the first time with its Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, an experimental hypersonic weapon that Putin claimed could travel at 10 times the speed of sound.
Three people have died and at least four are wounded in the past day of Russian shelling in the northern part of the country. Another civilian died Saturday as a Russian drone struck the southern city of Kherson, according to regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin.
He said that a ceasefire might be agreed on, but the Kremlin needs a long-term truce that would end the fighting and prevent the Russians from sending men into its armed forces.
It was not clear if Zelenskyy was conditioning his presence in Turkey on the Monday ceasefire holding, and there was no immediate comment from the Kremlin on whether Putin would go. Zelenskyy declared that negotiations with Putin had become impossible after he repeatedly wanted to meet with the Russian president.
Zelenskyy said on X on Sunday morning that it was a “positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war,” but insisted on a ceasefire first.
An unfettered truce can’t be subject to any conditions. If Russia calls for such conditions, this can only be considered as an effort to prolong the war and undermine diplomacy,” the statement read.
“We have repeatedly heard from partners that they are ready to strengthen sanctions against Russia if Putin refuses a ceasefire. We will see,” he said.
Putin held a series of bilateral talks with officials from other countries that had attended Moscow’s celebrations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in order to show how the West has failed to separate it from the global stage. The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam was among the people who were talking to Putin.
In the months since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, he has yet to achieve any significant progress on ending the three year war. If a deal is too difficult, Trump has threatened to walk away.
Russian attacks along the 600-mile front line have continued since the start of talks between the US and Russia.
Merz said that “almost all Member States of the European Union and a large coalition of the willing around the globe are determined to enforce these sanctions even if our initiative of the weekend should fail.”
Supplies of robust quantities of arms to deter attacks and invest in its defense sector are some of the things that will be needed to build a deterrent against Russia. He said a foreign force could be used as an added reassurance.
He said details about potential European deployments to Ukraine were still being fine-tuned. No mention was made of NATO membership, still Kyiv’s top choice for a security guarantee.
Zelenskyy meets Putin in Istanbul: a counterexample to Russian attempts to revive direct talks with Ukraine at the end of World War II
The European leaders were at the Independence Square in the city to observe the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. They lit candles at the memorial for Ukrainian soldiers and civilians killed since Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainian Telegram channels linked the embassy’s warning to reports of an imminent flight ban by Moscow over the Kapustin Yar military training and rocket launch complex. A similar flight ban preceded November’s strike. There was no immediate comment from Russian officials.
“We are committed to serious negotiations with Ukraine,” Putin said, adding that he doesn’t rule out agreeing to a ceasefire later, in the course of direct talks with Ukraine.
Putin in remarks to the media overnight effectively rejected the offer and proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday instead “without preconditions.” He did not specify whether the talks on Thursday would involve Zelenskyy and himself personally.
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday challenged Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to meet him personally in Turkey on Thursday, the latest move in a weekend-long exchange of proposals from both sides on the next steps in the U.S.-led peace effort.
Trump’s speech to Putin in Turkey on Sunday criticized Russian actions in the end of the Syrian-Russian War on Asymptotic Freedom
“Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending ‘bloodbath’ hopefully comes to an end,” Trump wrote. “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 major week coming up! he added.
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.
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 to find a peaceful solution.”
According to the Kremlin’s readout of the phone call, Erdogan “fully supported the Russian proposal” and was ready to provide a platform for the talks and assistance in organizing them.
In a separate phone call to Macron on Sunday, Erdogan said that a “historic turning point” had been reached in efforts to end the war, according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications office.
Zelenskyy said he was waiting to see what the western allies would do if Putin did not abide by the truce.
He reiterated he would be present in Turkey on Thursday. The Associated Press sent the Kremlin spokesman a question, but he did not reply immediately.
Russia launched 108 attack drones and simulator drones from six different directions, Ukraine’s air force said. 61 drones were shot down and another 41 failed to reach targets due to the Ukrainian countermeasures.
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.
A Russian official on Sunday evening also accused Ukrainian forces of a missile strike on a town in Russia’s Kursk region that borders Ukraine. Acting Gov. Alexander Khinshtein said on Telegram that the strike “seriously damaged” a hotel in Rylsk, a town east of the Ukrainian border, and wounded three people.