2025-05-11 17:34
publication
2025-05-11 17:34
The leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany and Poland emphasized on Sunday that the condition of Russian-Ukrainian direct peace negotiations proposed by Vladimir Putin must be the earlier consent of Moscow to a 30-day ceasefire.
On Saturday in Kiev, the President of Ukraine Wołodymyr Zelnski together with the leaders of the “Coalitions of Volunteer Coalitions”: Poland, France, Germany and Great Britain called Russia for unconditional arms suspension from Monday to 30 days and joining peace conversations. The proposal was also supported by US President Donald Trump.
Putin responded with a counter -proposal: direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine could start on Thursday (May 15), without preliminary conditions.
Referring to Russia's proposals, Wołodymyr Zelanski considered a good sign that Russia finally began to think about the end of the war. “This is a good sign that the Russians are finally thinking about the end of the war. Everyone in the world has been waiting for a long time. The first step to the end of the war is the suspension of weapons,” wrote Zelanski on the platform X. “There is no point in continuing killing even for one day. We expect Russia to confirm the suspension of weapons – full, durable and reliable – from tomorrow, May 12, and Ukraine is ready to meet.”
Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasized that “the world, however, is waiting for an unequivocal decision on immediate and unconditional suspension of weapons.” In the post on Platform X, he added that “Ukraine is ready. No more victims!”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated on Sunday in Berlin that the condition of negotiations would be to suspend weapons in the war of Russia with Ukraine. First, he has to stop the weapon, and then you can start the conversation – said Chancellor quoted by the DPA agency. “We expect Moscow to now agree to suspend a weapon, which will allow real conversations,” said Merz, emphasizing that Ukraine agreed to this approach “without any but”. “If the Russian side now signals readiness to talk, it is a good sign to the beginning. But this is far from sufficient,” he added.
French President Emmanuel Macron was the same as Putin's proposal. In the post on portal X, he stated that “there can be no negotiations when weapons speak. There can be no dialogue if civilians are bombarded at the same time. Weapon suspension is now needed for conversations to start” – he emphasized. “In Kiev and together with President Trump we made a clear proposal: an unconditional 30-day suspension of weapons from Monday. President Zelanski committed to this without putting any conditions. Now we expect an equally clear answer from Russia,” Macron wrote on Sunday. The French president called Putin's statement “the first but insufficient step.” According to him, the Kremlin's proposal aims to “gain time” and is in fact a delay game, which the West has already accused Russia for many times.
The position of leaders was upheld by the head of the Ukrainian Chancellery of President Andrij Jermak. On Sunday, he stated that the suspension of weapons in the fighting between Ukraine and Russia would be the first step towards the end of the war. “First, a 30-day suspension of weapons, then everything else. Russia should not hide its desire to continue the war with verbal constructions. The suspension of weapons is the first step towards the end of the war and will confirm Russia's readiness to end up killing,” Jermak wrote in a telegram
The special envoy of Trump Keith Kellogg said that “unconditional ceasefire must occur first, and peace negotiations may begin during its duration. Not the other way around.” (PAP)
OS/ KARE/ DRAG/
