For 1st Time In Years, Putin Says 'Open To Direct Peace Talks' With Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin, under pressure from Washington to show willingness to make peace in Ukraine, proposed on Monday bilateral talks with Kyiv for the first time in years, and said he was open to more ceasefires after a one-day Easter truce.

Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed Kyiv was sending a delegation to London to meet with the United States and other Western countries on Wednesday.

The London talks are a follow-up to a meeting in Paris last week in which the U.S. and European states discussed ways to end the more than three-year-old war.

Putin, speaking to a Russian state TV reporter, said fighting had resumed after his surprise 30-hour Easter ceasefire, which he announced unilaterally on Saturday.

Both countries accused the other of violating Putin's truce, which Kyiv had largely dismissed from the outset as a stunt.

Washington said it would welcome an extension of the truce. Zelenskiy, who has called for it to be extended to a 30-day ceasefire on civilian targets, said continued Russian attacks during Sunday's ceasefire showed Moscow was intent on prolonging the war.

In his comments, Putin said Moscow was open to any peace initiatives and expected the same from Kyiv.

"When the president said that it was possible to discuss the issue of not striking civilian targets, including bilaterally, the president had in mind negotiations and discussions with the Ukrainian side," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to Interfax news agency.

Zelenskiy made no reference to Putin's remarks on bilateral talks in his comments on X announcing the Ukrainian delegation for the London talks.

"Ukraine, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States - we are ready to move forward as constructively as possible, just as we have done before, to achieve an unconditional ceasefire, followed by the establishment of a real and lasting peace," Zelenskiy wrote, adding that he had good discussions with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Earlier on Monday, Zelenskiy said that his forces were instructed to continue to mirror the Russian army's actions.

"The nature of Ukraine's actions will remain symmetrical: ceasefire will be met with ceasefire, and Russian strikes will be met with our own in defence. Actions always speak louder than words," he said on X.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio both said on Friday that Washington could walk away from peace talks altogether if the sides do not make more progress within days. Trump struck a more optimistic note Sunday, saying that "hopefully" the two sides would make a deal "this week".

Russia has yet to row back from its demands, including that Ukraine cede all the land Putin claims to have annexed and accept permanent neutrality. Ukraine says that would amount to surrender and leave it undefended if Moscow attacks again.

Asked about Trump's remarks on a possible peace deal soon, Peskov told reporters that he would make no comments, "especially about the timeframe".

"President Putin and the Russian side remain open to seeking a peaceful settlement. We are continuing to work with the American side and, of course, we hope that this work will yield results."

While there were no air raid alerts in Ukraine on Sunday, Ukrainian forces reported nearly 3,000 violations of Russia's ceasefire with the heaviest attacks seen along the Pokrovsk part of the frontline, Zelenskiy said earlier on Monday.

Russia's defence ministry said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had shot at Russian positions 444 times and said it had counted more than 900 Ukrainian drone attacks, saying also that there were deaths and injuries among the civilian population.

Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports.

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