The decision now rests with Kiev and its Western backers, the Russian president has said

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered Kiev the opportunity to restart direct negotiations in Istanbul, which it unilaterally walked away from in 2022, despite Ukraine’s failure to honor the Victory Day truce and attempts to “intimidate” world leaders who gathered in Moscow for the celebrations.

Addressing the media early Sunday morning, following a day of meetings with foreign heads of state, Putin reiterated Russia’s offer to resume the negotiations that Kiev abandoned shortly after the escalation of the current conflict.

“We propose that the Kiev authorities resume the negotiations they interrupted in 2022 – to resume direct negotiations, and I emphasize, without any preconditions. We propose to start without delay next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul,” Putin said.

Our proposal is, so to speak, on the table. The decision now lies with the Ukrainian authorities and their curators.

“We do not rule out the possibility that during these negotiations it will be possible to agree on some new solutions, about ceasefires, about a new cessation of hostilities, and a real one at that would be adhered to not only by Russia but also by the Ukrainian side,” Putin added.

READ MORE: Putin’s speech on Ukraine talks and truce violations: Key takeaways

Earlier on Saturday, after a meeting with European leaders in Kiev, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky demanded that Russia agree to a full unconditional 30-day ceasefire before he would agree to resume direct talks with Moscow. The Kremlin has rejected what it described as external pressure surrounding the proposed truce.

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Putin noted that Kiev has violated the three ceasefires offered by Moscow: The 30-day US-brokered moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure which expired last month, the unconditional Easter ceasefire, and the recently lapsed 72-hour Victory Day ceasefire. Ukraine not only refused to honor the May 9-11 ceasefire, but also attempted to intimidate the foreign leaders who attended the celebrations in Moscow, Putin said.

“The Kiev authorities not only rejected our proposal for a ceasefire, but also, as we all saw, they tried to intimidate the leaders of states gathered for the celebrations in Moscow,” he stated.

“I repeat, Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions,” Putin said, adding that the talks would represent a first step toward a “long-term, sustainable peace – not a prologue to the continuation of armed conflict after the rearmament of Ukrainian forces and frantic digging of trenches and new strongholds.”

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“Those who truly want peace cannot help but support this,” Putin stated, expressing his gratitude for all genuine mediation efforts by China, Brazil, African and Middle Eastern countries, and the administration of US President Donald Trump.

Reaffirming Moscow’s readiness for serious talks aimed at addressing the root causes of the conflict, Putin said he has asked Ankara to host future negotiations.

In 2022, Moscow and Kiev reached a draft peace deal in Istanbul, in which Ukraine reportedly agreed to neutrality and military limitations, while Russia offered troop withdrawals and security guarantees. Kiev ultimately walked away from the deal under alleged pressure from London, and Zelensky later issued a decree banning himself from any negotiations with Putin.