The US president has welcomed Moscows overture aimed at resuming direct negotiations with Kiev

US President Donald Trump has expressed support for his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin's proposal to resume direct peace talks with Ukraine, which have been on hold since 2022. Putin earlier suggested restarting negotiations in Istanbul, Türkiye next week.

Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday to praise what he called "a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine! Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end."

The US, he added, "wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!"

Putin previously proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul, where talks were last held in 2022. Moscow said that while the sides were making progress toward peace at the time and had reached a preliminary draft agreement, the process was derailed by then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who advised Kiev to "keep fighting." Johnson has denied the claim.

"We propose resuming talks without any preconditions," Putin said, stressing that Russia has never refused dialogue. He added that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed his readiness to facilitate the meeting.

Responding to the Russian leader's new proposal, French President Emmanuel Macron called it "a first step, but not enough" to ensure a path to peace.

Putin's remarks came after the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Poland, the UK, and the EU floated a proposal for a 30-day "full and unconditional" ceasefire, which they claimed would "create room for diplomacy," adding that the US supports the initiative. Several European leaders also threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia if it rejects the ceasefire.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia needs to "think about" the ceasefire proposal. He added that while Putin supports the idea of a ceasefire "in general," "there are lots of questions" yet to be resolved.

Moscow previously expressed concern that Ukraine could use a pause in the fighting to regroup its battered and exhausted troops while continuing forced mobilization. Russia has also insisted that Western arms shipments must be halted during a ceasefire.

Regarding the threat of new sanctions from EU nations, Peskov said Russia is "resistant to any kind of pressure."

(RT.com)