On its first joint visit to Ukraine, the British, French, German and Polish leaders said on Saturday that if President Vladimir V. Putin refuses to agree to a 30-day ceasefire for a 30-day ceasefire, Russia will face “new and massive” sanctions on the banking and energy sector.
Hours later, Putin sidelined the demand and instead called for a direct meeting between Russia and Ukraine to be held in Türkiye.
Putin spoke to reporters in an unusual statement after 1am on Sunday, saying Russia was “prepared for serious negotiations with Ukraine” and “no prerequisites.” He proposed a meeting between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15th without specifying who would participate in the meeting.
He did not directly address Europe's call for a 30-day ceasefire, but showed that if Russia were to occur before the May 15 negotiations, the fight would not be stopped.
Although there was no immediate response from Ukraine early on Sunday, about an hour after Putin's press conference, authorities reported attacks by Russian explosive drones that issued air warnings in several cities, including the Ukrainian capital, Kiyykh.
“The key is to eliminate the root cause of the conflict,” Putin said. “We do not rule out that it is possible to agree on some new trances, new ceasefires and things about them in the course of these negotiations.”
In Kiev on Saturday, British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer held a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz, Poland Prime Minister Donald Tass, and Ukrainian President Volodymie Zelensky.
“We're all calling Putin,” Starge said. “If he's serious about peace, he has the opportunity to show it now.”
Starmer said European efforts seeking an armistice on Monday have been closely coordinated with the White House.
A senior US official who spoke in the background because they didn't have permission to discuss negotiations said President Trump had been in touch with European leaders throughout the week and was led by a announcement in Kiev, supporting Macron and Macron on Saturday morning's proposal not to exercise a ceasefire by Monday.
Trump also doesn't oppose asking the US to help monitor the ceasefire, but he has not made a firm commitment to what it involves or demands, officials said. White House officials stressed that Trump has repeatedly left sanctions on the table, including a recent social post of truth.
The Trump administration proposed a 30-day ceasefire that Kiev agreed to during this spring talks in Saudi Arabia.
Competing proposals from Kiev and Moscow are the latest examples of both Russia and Ukraine trying to position themselves as seeking peace in Trump's efforts to end the war. Ukraine first agreed to a 30-day ceasefire in March, but Putin did not.
In recent weeks, Putin has repeatedly called for direct consultations between Russia and Ukraine, but Sunday's comments were his most extensive on the issue. Ukraine also says it is ready for negotiations, but as far as it is known, no direct consultations have been held.
The last time Ukraine and Russia were publicly involved in peace talks took place in Istanbul in March 2022. Putin said on Sunday that the May 15 meeting would serve as a continuation of Istanbul's talks three years ago.
Earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andri Sibiha released photos of five leaders gathered around the phone. Sibiha said they were talking to Trump.
“Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, air and sea for at least 30 days, which has already started on Monday,” Sybiha wrote on social media. “If Russia agrees and effective surveillance is guaranteed, durable ceasefires and trust-building measures can pave the way for peace negotiations.”
Before European leaders held a press conference, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov dismissed the threat of new sanctions and told Russian broadcaster Rossia-1 that the country was “accustomed to such pressure measures and knew how to minimize the outcome.”
Russia previously said that Russia continued to oppose the ceasefire unless the Western countries halt military aid to Ukraine, according to Russian news agency Tass.
The visits of European leaders to Kiev – began with a stern respect for the thousands of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the battle. It came a day after Russia celebrated the 80th anniversary of its victory over Nazi Germany in World War II as a man gave birth to flowers. In that celebration, Putin welcomed Chinese and other foreign officials President Xi Jinping to Moscow for a military parade aimed at Russian power and the aim of Putin projecting Putin's bids to reconstruct the global order on his terms.
At this point, Ukraine is captured between bold Russia supported by China, North Korea and Iran, and Europe, struggling to fill the void left by the US.
It has been more than 120 days since the US announced new military aid to Ukraine. It remains unclear whether the Trump administration plans to spend the remaining $3.855 billion that Congress allowed additional withdrawal from the Pentagon's reserves.
Ukraine is competing to build domestic arms production, and European allies are increasing their military aid. Even if Russia agrees to a ceasefire, Ukraine and its allies believe that the only way to ensure lasting peace is through military force.
However, in the coming weeks we will test whether European resolve and resources match the scale of the challenge. This is because the outcome of the war becomes an increasingly resolved European problem.
Trump has recently shown a flash of frustration with Moscow, but most of the pressure Washington endured to end the fight has been directed at Kiev.
Daniel Fried, a former US diplomat and fellow at Washington's Atlantic Council, said he hopes that American and European policies regarding Ukraine are converging, but many tests remain.
He said if Putin refuses to use the 30-day ceasefire, there will be a “moment of truth”; And if there is a ceasefire, he said, the next test might come if Russia violates the ceasefire.
“So, what is the response of the US?” he said.
Maggie Harberman Contributed with a report from New York.
