Putin offers direct peace talks with Ukraine after three years of warBy Henry ZwartzTopic:World Politics32m ago32 minutes agoSun 11 May 2025 at 1:56amLoading...In short:Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed peace talks with Ukraine during a visit to Istanbul on May 15.It came mere hours after European powers threw their support behind Ukraine's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, with the support of the United States.What's next? Mr Putin said he would "not rule out" that Russia and Ukraine may "be able to agree new ceasefires, a new truce".abc.net.au/news/putin-proposes-direct-peace-talks-with-ukraine/105279076Link copiedShareShare articleRussian President Vladimir Putin has proposed direct peace talks with Ukraine to "eliminate the root causes of the conflict" after Ukraine proposed a 30-day ceasefire with the backing of NATO powers.Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, sparking a conflict that has since seen about half a million casualties, according to estimates by US officials, and led to the displacement of an estimated 3.7 million people.Mr Putin said he would propose peace talks during a visit to Istanbul on May 15.Vladimir Putin says a meeting would be aimed at achieving durable peace between the two countries. (Reuters: Sergey Bobylev/RIA Novosti)"It was not Russia that broke off negotiations in 2022. It was Kyiv. Nevertheless, we are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions," Mr Putin said, referring to failed talks shortly after the Russian invasion of 2022. "We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul."Our proposal, as they say, is on the table, the decision is now up to the Ukrainian authorities and their curators, who are guided, it seems, by their personal political ambitions, and not by the interests of their peoples."Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron visited the Memorial Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine in Kyiv on Saturday. (AP: Stefan Rousseau/PA)European leaders and Zelenskyy call Trump to discuss 30-day ceasefirePhoto shows leaders of ukraine, poland, germany, france and the UK stand side by side in kyivThe leaders of four major European countries visited Kyiv, amid a push for Moscow to agree to a truce and launch peace talks on ending the nearly three-year war.It came mere hours after European powers threw their support behind Ukraine's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, with the support of the United States.US President Donald Trump said Mr Putin would face "massive" sanctions if he did not accept the proposal within days."All of us here together with the US are calling Putin out," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.Russia dismissed the call for the ceasefire and the threat of sanctions.The Russian leader said he would speak to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday to discuss the details. Mr Putin said he would "not rule out" that Russia and Ukraine may "be able to agree new ceasefires, a new truce".Ukraine says it uncovered Hungarian spy networkPhoto shows two Ukrainian soldiers operate an air defense system on the back of a truckUkraine said it was the first time in its history that a Hungarian spy network had been found to be working against Kyiv's interests."We are committed to serious negotiations with Ukraine. Their purpose is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict, to establish a long-term, lasting peace for the historical perspective."In a 2021 essay pre-dating the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian president made the case for incorporating Ukraine into Russia. The 5,000-word document claimed that Russians and Ukrainians were "one people", and blamed poor ties between the two countries on foreign plots.Kyiv has not commented on the proposal from Mr Putin.Posted 32m ago32 minutes agoSun 11 May 2025 at 1:56am, updated 24m ago24 minutes agoSun 11 May 2025 at 2:04amShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesDumped minister accuses Richard Marles of being a 'factional assassin'Topic:ALPPhoto shows Ed Husic, wearing a suit, sitting on a green bench.Israel is keeping up its blockade of aid as kids starve to deathTopic:WarPhoto shows A small baby in a pink onesie sleeps on a blue and yellow blanket.How one of Australia's richest families is rewriting its pokies legacyTopic:GamblingPhoto shows Len Ainsworth poses for a portrait at a table in a dark room with poker machines behind him.Harry, Charles and the grief dilemma tearing apart the royal familyTopic:RoyaltyPhoto shows An older man and two younger men Trump is trying to suspend habeas corpus. 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