We are set for serious negotiations with Ukraine. Their essence lies in eliminating the root cause of the conflict: statements by Putin during the night press conference.

Concluding the festive events on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Second World War, Vladimir Putin addressed the representatives of the mass media with concluding statements regarding the events that took place between May 7 and 10. Putin’s speech began on the night of May 10-11 at approximately 1:30 a.m. Moscow time and lasted about 20 minutes. This is reported by the Russian mass media. It can be considered one of the latest public speeches of the President of Russia in Moscow.

Putin noted that during these four days, the leaders of three foreign countries – the People’s Republic of China, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – made official visits. During this period, 20 bilateral meetings were also held with the leaders of the CIS countries, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America. In total, according to him, 27 heads of state, as well as about ten heads of international organizations took part in the festive events. Another six countries sent high-level delegations.

The President of the Russian Federation characterized such a wide presence of foreign delegations and international organizations as “an inspiring testimony of true unity around the unchanging ideas and values ​​of the common Great Victory.” Putin emphasized that he was pleased to personally thank the command of the Korean People’s Army, as well as to convey sincere words of gratitude to the servicemen and commanders of special forces units of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. According to him, these units, together with the Russian troops, professionally and conscientiously performed combat tasks to liberate the border areas of the Kursk region from “formations of the so-called Kyiv regime.” He separately emphasized that the North Korean military showed courage, heroism, high professional training and discipline.

Putin also noted that, despite threats, pressure and even the blocking of airspace, the leaders of some European states, in particular Serbia, Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, still came to the parade in Moscow. He emphasized that the Kremlin is well aware of the powerful external pressure these leaders faced, and therefore highly appreciates their political courage, moral stability and decision to personally participate in the festive events, to honor the memory of the heroes of the Second World War, who fought not only for their own homes, but also for the liberation of all humanity from the “brown plague”.

The President of the Russian Federation also drew attention to the fact that it is extremely important for Russia to know: millions of Europeans, including heads of states that conduct independent policies, keep the memory of these events. This, he believes, gives hope that sooner or later, relying on the historical experience and the will of its peoples, Russia will be able to start the process of restoring constructive relations with European states — in particular, with those who today continue to use anti-Russian rhetoric and demonstrate aggressive behavior. He added that even these days the Kremlin observes how they continue to talk to him from a position of strength — in what he says is a boorish manner and the language of ultimatums.

In the context of modern international politics, Putin singled out the strategic partnership with the People’s Republic of China as an example of equal relations of the 21st century. Putin announced that the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping became the main guest of honor at the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory. He also noted that extremely productive negotiations took place between the countries, as a result of which two joint documents were adopted at the level of the heads of state and a number of intergovernmental and interagency agreements were signed, covering the energy sphere, trade, finance, science, culture and other fields. As Putin emphasized, an agreement has already been reached that his official visit to China will take place in September to participate in the celebrations on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Victory over militarist Japan.

Vladimir Putin actually did not accept the proposal of Ukraine and its Western allies to introduce a new 30-day ceasefire regime. Instead, he accused Kyiv of not respecting the ceasefires previously announced by Moscow. In particular, in non-compliance with the “energy truce” regime in March-April 2025, the so-called “Easter truce” in April, as well as the three-day ceasefire that Moscow announced for May 8-10.

In this context, Putin emphasized that Russia has repeatedly initiated a ceasefire, however, according to him, each of these initiatives has been ignored or thwarted by Kyiv. In particular, he emphasized that during the 30-day moratorium on strikes on energy facilities announced from March 18 to April 17, which was agreed with US President Donald Trump, the Ukrainian side violated the agreement about 130 times. Similarly, the Easter truce proposed by Moscow, according to him, has been violated almost five thousand times.

Putin offered to discuss the issue of a possible truce as part of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, which may take place as early as May 15 in Istanbul. At the same time, he noted that Moscow is ready to participate in these negotiations without any preconditions. In effect, this initiative by Putin means a return to the format and process that were used in 2022, but did not lead to any results.

In his statement, the Russian president noted that the new round of negotiations should be a logical continuation of the negotiations that were already held in Istanbul in 2022, but did not yield results.

“We propose to the Kyiv authorities to resume the negotiations interrupted by them at the end of 2022. To resume direct negotiations, and, I emphasize, without any preconditions. We propose to start without delay next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul – where they were held before and where they were interrupted.” he declared.

In addition, Putin stated that he does not rule out the possibility of achieving a new ceasefire in the course of future negotiations. According to him, we may be talking about a “real truce”:

“We are ready for serious negotiations with Ukraine. Their meaning is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict. … We do not rule out that during these negotiations it will be possible to agree on a new ceasefire, a new ceasefire – and a real ceasefire… This would be the first step towards a long-term stable peace.”

He said that on May 11 he plans to discuss his initiative with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who in 2022 already acted as a mediator between Moscow and Kyiv and provided a platform for organizing negotiations. Putin expressed hope that Erdogan will confirm his readiness to contribute to the establishment of peace in Ukraine. He also does not rule out that in the course of future negotiations it will be possible to reach an agreement on a new truce, that is, on a new cease-fire.

At the same time, the Russian president repeated his earlier position: Russia is ready for serious negotiations with Ukraine, and the essence of these negotiations is the need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict. Also, for the first time during the entire period of the full-scale invasion, he publicly called the war in Ukraine a “war”:

“Yes, there are hostilities, a war going on now. But we are ready to talk.”

According to him, the Russian side highly appreciates the attention and efforts of foreign leaders who strive to end this conflict. Putin said:

“On the occasion of Victory Day – a holiday that has a sacred meaning in Russia, considering the 27 million casualties – the Russian side announced a truce for the third time. Moscow conveyed its position on this truce to Western partners who are sincerely looking for ways to peace. The Russian side did not rule out the possibility of extending the ceasefire, but only after analyzing how Kyiv would react to this initiative.

However, the reaction of the Ukrainian authorities turned out to be a complete refusal. The Russian proposal for a truce was made on May 5, and already on the night of May 6-7, the Ukrainian side launched large-scale attacks. These attacks used 524 drones, Western-made missiles, and 45 unmanned boats in the Black Sea. During the three days — May 8, 9, and 10 — when the declared truce lasted, five attempts of attacks on the state border of the Russian Federation were recorded in the area of ​​the Kursk region and on the border with Belgorod. In addition, another 36 attacks took place in other directions. All attacks were repulsed, and military experts believe that they had no military significance and pursued a political goal, causing heavy losses.”

Putin emphasized that the Ukrainian leadership not only ignored the Russian appeal for a cease-fire, but also tried to intimidate foreign leaders who came to celebrate in Moscow. He emphasized that those who did come are not leaders only by position, but primarily by character and convictions, which they are ready to defend. He asked who tried to intimidate these people – and he himself answered: those who today honor former SS soldiers, who glorify the collaborators of the Third Reich. Putin characterized such attempts at intimidation as completely unsuccessful and disproportionate, which do not correspond to the level of claims of those who carry them out.

He then reiterated that Moscow has repeatedly proposed steps to end hostilities and has never given up dialogue with Ukraine. He reminded that it was the Ukrainian side that interrupted the 2022 negotiations. In this regard, Putin said that Russia, despite everything, offers Kiev to resume the negotiations, which were stopped at the end of 2022, and to do it in the format of direct negotiations – without any preconditions.

According to him, Russia is ready for serious negotiations with Ukraine, the purpose of which is not only to stop hostilities, but also to eliminate the root causes of the conflict, laying the foundation for a long-term and stable peace. He added that he does not rule out the possibility of reaching new agreements on a ceasefire during the negotiations. At the same time, he emphasized that it is about a real truce that will be observed by both sides, and will not become only a preparatory stage for a new round of escalation after the rearming of the Ukrainian army and the construction of new fortifications.

Putin rhetorically asked: who needs such a “peace”, which is actually a break before a new round of war? The Russian proposal, as he said, remains on the table. Now, he emphasized, the word is with the Ukrainian leadership and those whom he called their curators. According to Putin, these Western curators are guided by their own political ambitions, not the interests of their peoples, and want to continue the war against Russia at the hands of Ukrainian nationalists.

In conclusion, Putin expressed his gratitude to those states that are trying to act as mediators and contribute to the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. He mentioned, in particular, China, Brazil, the states of Africa, the Middle East and, as he noted, the new administration of the United States of America.

It should be noted that Putin’s statement came a few hours after a summit of the leaders of Ukraine’s Western allies, known as the “coalition of the willing”, took place in Kyiv. The previous evening, the Kremlin refrained from commenting on the outcome of the summit, which called for Russia to implement a full and unconditional ceasefire for at least 30 days starting on May 12. This proposal was voiced by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived in Kyiv on the morning of May 10 to participate in the summit. After talks with Zelenskyi, all five leaders had a joint telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump. As a result, they agreed to put forward a demand to the Kremlin for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

“If Putin is really serious about peace, he has a chance to prove it. Enough of “ifs”, “buts”, conditions and delays”. – said Prime Minister of Great Britain Keir Starmer after the summit.

French President Emmanuel Macron added that if Russia refuses, the West is ready to introduce new sanctions.

At the time of Putin’s speech, Ukraine had not yet commented on the Kremlin’s proposal to hold a new round of negotiations in Istanbul. Western leaders also did not express an official reaction to Putin’s refusal to support the 30-day truce initiative.