Ukraine War: Putin open for direct conversations with Kyiv

Is there more movement in the negotiations to a ceasefire or even peace between Ukraine and Russia? Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has put direct talks with Kiev into the space on the expansion of a moratorium of attacks against certain objects.

Russia has registered that Ukraine attempts to take over the initiative on the subject of ceasefire, strive for an extension or to take out other objects from the fire, Putin said Russian journalists. “We have to think about it.”

He was skeptical about the waiver of attacks on civilian facilities proposed by Kiev. However, he was ready to clarify such questions in bilateral conversations, said Putin. In this case, bilaterally, the Ukrainian side meant that Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskow later emphasized.

So far, negotiations on a possible end of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine between Moscow and Kiev have only been indirectly – although the United States has recently switched on as an intermediary.

Russia had committed attacks against civilian objects in recent times, the Kremlin chief admitted and called the attack on Sumy, in which Ukrainian information was killed in 35 people, most of them. However, Putin said that the rocket stroke had been folded into a meeting of Ukrainian officers who had been awarded in the city. Therefore, the attack was justified.

At the same time, the 72-year-old drew a positive conclusion about the Easter cafe rest he announced for Ukraine. “Overall, we observe a reduction in the opponent’s fighting, that’s true,” said Putin. Nevertheless, Ukraine violated almost 5000 times about the ceasefire he arranged, he explained. The Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj had previously accused Moscow of around 3000 violations.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump announced that he wanted to comment on the war in Ukraine and the mediation efforts in the next three days. At an Easter Festival in the Garden of the White House, he said when asked whether there was an American proposal that Ukraine must recognize the Crimea as part of Russia. Russia had occupied the Ukrainian Black Sea Peninsula in 2014 and then annexed it.

The conversations went well, added Trump. He did not give any further details.

The day before, he posted Truth Social on his platform in capital letters: “Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week.” He added: “Both will start doing big business with the United States of America, which are developing perfectly and earn a fortune.”

Trump had recently called for the willingness to compromise from the attacked Ukraine and Russia. Under President Donald Trump, the United States has a sharp change of course and are no longer ready to support Ukraine in the long term in its defense against the Russian invasion. Washington mainly exerts pressure on Kiev to achieve a quick peace. Ukraine should not only join NATO, but also to do without larger territories.

On Wednesday, according to Kiev, negotiators from the USA, Ukraine, Great Britain and France will meet new advice on opportunities for the end of the Russian war of aggression.

“We are ready to move as constructive as possible as we have so far to achieve a ceasefire without a preconditions followed by a real and permanent peace,” wrote the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj on the platform X. There was already such a meeting in Paris last week.

France and Great Britain lead a “coalition of the willing” that Ukraine wants to give security guarantees and also support them in the negotiations for just peace.