After the international pressure for a high fire in Ukraine, the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has proposed to hold direct conversations in Istanbul this Thursday, May 15. To the proposal, the Ukrainian President, Volodimir Zelenski, has replied that he expects a “high and durable fire” and has accepted the challenge of Putin: “I will wait for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday.” “I hope this time the Russians do not look for excuses,” he added in a message on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
The Kremlin leader announced at dawn that he would call this Sunday the Turkish president, Recep Tayip Erdogan, to communicate his initiative. Istanbul has already hosted the latest direct conversations with Ukraine on March 29, 2022, which ended up failing.
The Russian president announced his proposal at a press conference a few hours before midnight, a moment that coincided with the end of the unilateral truce of 72 hours promoted by Putin on the occasion of Victory Day. The statement came after Zelenski had hosted a meeting with European leaders and they demanded a 30 -day truce, with threats of new sanctions as a ultimatum against Russia in case of not accepting it.
This Sunday, the Ukrainian president acknowledged that it was a “first step” but insisted on the truce: “What makes no sense is to kill people, not even for another day. We hope that Russia accepts the stop on the fire – plenary, firm and verifiable – starting tomorrow, May 12 and we will be willing to gather,” he said in X.
This same afternoon, a few hours after the Russian launched the meeting proposal, the US president Donald Trump entered the scene and, through a publication in Truth Social, tried to press the Ukrainian leader to accept the negotiation of Turkey “immediately”. “Have the meeting, now,” he urged in capital letters.
It has been a few minutes later when Zelenski has accepted this face to face, although again insisting on the idea of high the fire “complete and durable starting tomorrow” Monday.
Later, In one of the usual nighttime messages from Zelenski to the Ukrainians Through his social networks, the president of Ukraine has insisted on the need for a high fire and has defended that they have “absolutely no problem in participating in negotiations” and that they are “ready for any format.” Zelenski has repeated that he will be in Türkiye this Thursday, May 15 and hopes that Putin goes to the meeting.
Before, the Ukrainian leader had offered to start this high “complete and unconditional” fire of “at least” one month from May 12. “We know that the United States supports us in this. […] A high unconditional fire means not having conditions, ”he added. However, the Russian president has not even mentioned the possibility of a high fire, but has reiterated that one of Moscow’s demands is that kyiv stops receiving weapons and military training while the cessation of hostilities lasts.
Even so, Putin has left the door open to discuss future truces later. “We do not rule out that during these negotiations it is possible to agree on new truces, a new high fire and a real truce that is not only respected by Russia, but also by the Ukrainian part.”
Both the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the new German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, had previously reacted to Putin’s proposal also qualifying it as insufficient.
Three days without air attacks
During the last 72 hours, despite having minimized drones and missiles for the announcement of truce of the Russian part on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, the assault operations and artillery attacks have continued on the front. Between May 6 and 7, Ukraine launched the largest number of drones in 24 hours since the beginning of the invasion, several of them on Moscow, but after the entry into force of the truce, air attacks did cease.
In spite of the lower activity of drones, Russia also continued with its air attacks, artillery and against civil areas in the front and border regions, as well as with the assaults on the front line, which have been even more intense during the high theoretical theoretical the three -day fire than before it. Once this unilateral truce is finished, Russia has returned to send drones against Ukrainian territory. In fact, this early morning, the air attack alert in Sumi, Zaporiyia, Donetsk and Járkov has been declared. A Ukrainian civilian died and ten were injured.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin is already working on the configuration of the delegation that will travel to Türkiye to finally produce the conversations. Yuri Ushakov, Putin advisor, has assured it. “We are prepared to start on May 15, even in the morning. We have to go and start negotiations. Very simple, if people want it, of course.”
Source: www.eldiario.es
