Putin Calls for Direct Peace Talks Between Russia and Ukraine

He said the direct talks could start with a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 15.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a statement to the media at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 11, 2025. Sergey Bobylev/Host agency RIA Novosti/Handout via Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators to take place in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 15.

Speaking at a press conference on May 11, the Russian president called on the Ukrainian government in Kyiv to take up its offer to start direct negotiations to end the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war after more than three years of fighting.