German chancellor says Putin’s proposal for direct talks with Ukraine a ‘good sign’

ISTANBUL

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday defined a proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold direct talks with Ukraine in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul as a “good sign.”

During an overnight news conference in Moscow, Putin proposed the resumption of direct peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv in Istanbul, starting on Thursday, further saying he is set to talk with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to ask him to greenlight holding negotiations in Türkiye.

In a press release published by the German government’s press and information office, Merz was quoted as saying that Berlin and its partners called for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine during talks in Kyiv a day earlier, with the aim to create the space necessary for talks on the conflict’s settlement.

“If the Russian side now signals a willingness to talk, that is initially a good sign. But it is far from sufficient,” Merz further said.

He went on to say that Germany expects Russia to agree to a ceasefire before talks on a settlement in Ukraine can begin.

On Saturday, European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a joint statement following talks in Kyiv, urged Russia to agree to a “full and unconditional” 30-day ceasefire in the war-torn country, a call which the statement said is also supported by the US, and warned that “stronger sanctions” should be imposed on Moscow if it did not agree.

Zelenskyy, in reaction to Putin’s proposal, said in a statement on X earlier Sunday that his country is ready to hold direct talks with Russia once Moscow confirms a “full, lasting, and reliable” ceasefire, starting on Monday.

In response, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “Putin clearly said: first, negotiations on the root causes (of the conflict), and then we can talk about a truce.”

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