Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed direct talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul that should be aimed at achieving a durable peace and eliminating the root causes of the war. He said that Russia was proposing direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul to achieve the restoration of a long-term, lasting peace. Major European powers have thrown their weight behind an unconditional 30-day Ukraine ceasefire on Saturday, with the backing of US President Donald Trump, and threatened Putin with "massive" new sanctions if he did not accept within days.
