The Kremlin says that Vladimir Putin's proposal for direct discussions with Kiev to resolving the war has international support

The approach of Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss with Ukraine a way to conclude the war with support and understanding from the leaders of many countries, said the spokesman of the Russian Presidency, Dmitri Peskov, quoted by Reuters and the Russian State Agency Tass.

“The approach that aims in particular to find a real diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis, eliminate the deep causes of the conflict and establish a sustainable peace, enjoyed the support and understanding of leaders in many countries,” said Dmitri Peskov.

Putin proposed direct discussions with Ukraine on Sunday for a “sustainable peace”, an initiative welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski, who said that Kiev is willing to discuss, but that Moscow must first accept an immediate cessation of fire.

Russia intends to find ways to reach a long -term peaceful solution of the war, Peskov said on Monday, but he said he cannot provide other details about peace negotiations. Peskov also did not answer the question who could be part of the Russian delegation in Istanbul.

He reiterated that the direct negotiations from Istanbul by the Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place without prior conditions.

“In general, we are engaged in a serious search for the ways to get a peaceful long-term solution,” Peskov said.

The Kremlin counselor for foreign policy, Iuri Usakov, told the press, after Putin's statement that the proposed discussions will consider both the project abandoned in 2022 and the current situation on the ground.

A few days after Russia's large-scale invasion in Ukraine in February 2022, Russia and Ukraine began discussions in Belarus, which later moved to Istanbul. A project of agreement agreed there, which set a framework for a possible settlement, became known as the “Istanbul statement”.