Russian President Putin proposes ‘direct talks' with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a 'direct talks' with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul after over three years of war and said that the talks should be able aimed at achieving a durable peace and eliminate the root cause of the war.
During an interaction with reporters in the Kremlin on Sunday, Putin 'proposed' to restart peace talks between Ukraine and Russia which was last held in 2022 when in February, the Russian forces had invaded Ukraine which triggered a gravest confrontation between Russia and the West since the Cuban Missile crisis of 1962.
The development comes at a time when four major European countries, UK, France, Germany and Poland have ratchet up pressure on Russia to accept a 30-day ceasefire proposal with Ukraine and the leaders of the four countries said that their proposal was backed by US President Donald Trump, whom they had briefed over the phone earlier in the day.
Joint Statement by the Leaders of France, Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine Following the Meeting in Kyiv.
On Saturday, May 10, 2025, the leaders of France, Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom and Ukraine met in Kyiv.
They agreed that starting Monday, May 12,… pic.twitter.com/afDURGGIxG
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 10, 2025
Putin said that he has proposed a direct talk with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul in an attempt to 'eliminate the root causes of the conflict' and 'to achieve the restoration of a long-term, lasting peace.'
Referring to failed talks with Ukraine just after its invasion in 2022, Putin said '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.'
Putin didn't mention about the 30-day proposal brought up by the four European countries and supported by the US, even as Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Saturday told CNN that Moscow will need to consider it.
Putin added '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,' Reuters reported.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
Ujjain hosts Spiritual & Wellness Summit
'You Can't Do A Damn Thing': Defiant Khamenei Vows To Continue Uranium Enrichment Despite U.S. Threats Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has fiercely rejected U.S. demands to halt uranium enrichment, declaring that America "cannot do a damn thing" to stop Iran's nuclear progress. Speaking from Imam Khomeini's mausoleum, Khamenei emphasized that enrichment is the core of Iran's nuclear identity and accused the West of decades of sabotage. He reminded Iranians of past U.S. and European refusals to supply nuclear fuel, justifying Iran's pursuit of a complete fuel cycle. His defiant stance signals rising tensions as nuclear negotiations falter once again.#iran #khamenei #uraniumenrichment #nucleardeal #IranNuclearProgram #USIranTensions #MiddleEastPolitics #IranUSRelations #nucleartalks #tehran #AyatollahKhamenei #geopolitics 104 views | 1 hour ago
The Print
25 minutes ago
- The Print
TV news is always enthusiastic about a ‘war'—India-Pakistan, Putin-Zelenskyy, Kannada-Tamil
'Badla,' said Republic Bharat . 'Badla,' said Zee Bharat . Operation Sindoor once more? No, it was Operation Spider's Web. Take last Monday: you could watch drones rise into the sky—as only drones can—and swoop down on defenseless Russian aircraft with precision. Slam! Bang! Explosion after explosion lit up the TV screen, flames billowed into smoke, and in the distance, we heard the scary sound of sirens. War is the No. 1 entertainer on television news in India. It has washed TV soaps down the tube. Who wants to watch a mother-in-law slap her daughter-in law when we can watch India slap down Pakistan—or Zelenskyy deliver a stinging blow to Putin? This was 'Pearl Harbour 2.0'—the 'Maha Yudh,' 'Full and Final' (Republic Bharat) running on Indian television news channels. It was 'Putin v/s Trump', declared TV9 Bharatvarsh. Why watch a girl named Saru in plaited pigtail confront Ankita in tight skirts (Saru, Zee TV) when you can watch US President Donald Trump, the 'Lord of Lunacy'—as TV9 Bharatvarsh called him—outstare Russian President Vladimir Putin? If it's not actual war, TV news conflicts are more entertaining than the family court-martials on TV soaps. On Wednesday there was a 'Kannada-Tamil War' in the TV newsrooms 'starring' Kamal Hassan as the 'villain' (Times Now). Cut to a visual of the film star, long, stringy strands of hair framing his villainous face, looking exactly like he led a 'Thug Life'—the title of his latest film. The Mani Ratnam film is now caught in the battle of Bengaluru, as Karnataka threatens to boycott Thug Life after Kamal Hassan appeared to offend Kannadiga pride by stating that 'Kannada was born out of Tamil.' Wouldn't you rather watch this case of exploding linguistic identities than Akshara swooning here and there during her pregnancy while trying to withstand the nauseating behaviour of her would-be saas, who is trying to prevent her son from marrying Akshara in the TV soap Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai (Star Plus)? This family drama has aired since 2012 and has so many internal conflicts, great epics pale in comparison. Still, it can't compare with the drones of war on television news. Also read: Blood, Bengal, and Breaking News—Local TV channels are desensitising us, badly War excites TV news The comparison between war among nations and war within a joint family isn't a false equivalence: both thrive on constant conflict and keep us round-eyed with astonishment at the unfolding events. What's clear is that TV news coverage of modern warfare is more eye-catching: boots on the ground have been replaced by flying machines. This allows TV channels to play video war games. Digital technology and now AI help newsrooms come up with high-quality maps, detailed graphics, and advanced animation to bring action to life. Just look at this one by AiTelly. Hindi news channels have also taken to war enthusiastically. TV9 Bharatvarsh is also known as 'Yudh TV' for waging ceaseless battle on air, 24×7. The conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Bangladesh, and Balochistan regularly show up on the news. How can any mere mortal TV soap actor—who is there to weep, shout, stand, and stare without messing up the make-up—compete with this? The primary purpose of the characters they play is to look soulfully into the eyes of a beloved or narrow their eyes into venomous slits while they spit out poisonous threats like, 'You will not steal Adit from me' (Mangal Lakshmi, Colors). Alternatively, the one happy family has to reinforce the ideals of the patriarchal Hindu value system: In Udne ki Asha (Star Plus), the mother-in-law comes up with a brilliant idea: 'All the wives will cook for their husbands!' Well. TV soaps have not reinvented themselves with the times, perhaps because they're targeting audiences in smaller cities and rural areas. They're still about the Hindu parivaar – loving, fighting, feuding—while urban viewers have moved on to watch OTT shows like the recently released The Royals (Netflix). Even when they attempt change, they fall back on old stereotypes. In Jagruti, Ek Nai Subah (Zee), the lead female character is a policewoman from an imaginary backward community called 'Chitta'. She is up against the mafia king – Thakurji. Thakurji profits from drugs, animal skins, and other illegal trades. He lives a lavish lifestyle, sprawled out on a couch with a glass of Scotch whisky dangling from his fingers as he threatens the police chief. And when he's angry, he shatters the glass with his bare hand. Also, everything moves in slow motion; the camera still does a 360-degree twirl to capture the expressionless faces of the family members. And then there's the music… Also read: Sensational, speculative, insensitive—that's how TV news is covering Kolkata doctor's rape Murder and mayhem There's plenty of music on news channels too—and special effects galore. For shouting matches, we have TV news anchors and their guests—BJP and Congress play the lead roles of warring families. We've even watched people assault each other in the newsroom. And if you are loyal viewers of Crime Patrol or the other popular crime shows C.I.D (Sony) and Savdhaan India (Star Bharat), you'll find enough murder on news channels to slake your blood thirst. Wednesday morning, India Today had news of a 'Ghastly crime in Shillong' where honeymooners were 'hacked to death'. It also had mobile video footage of a 'murder in a bakery'. Let's remember the Shraddha Walkar case that was telecast for weeks across news channels. Lastly, everyone has credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for coming up with the name Operation Sindoor. Did you know there's a TV serial called 'Sindoor ki Keemat' that aired on Dangal between 2021 and 2023? The author tweets @shailajabajpai. Views are personal. (Edited by Prashant)
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
Drone attacks are the new front in war. NATO is trying to catch up.
FILE -- A Ukrainian drone pilot in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine on April 24, 2025. Assaults in Russia and Ukraine have shown major military powers that they are unprepared for evolving forms of warfare, and need to adapt. (Tyler Hicks/The New York Times) Recent drone attacks in Ukraine and Russia have exposed Western nations' vulnerability to this new form of warfare. Ukraine's successful drone strikes on Russian air bases highlight NATO's need to assess its own defenses. Both countries are investing heavily in drone technology, revealing a shift in military strategy and preparedness for future conflicts. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The drones attacks that have filled the skies over Ukraine and Russia the past few weeks have not only cemented a new era of warfare, they have also shown Western countries how ill-prepared they are for Sunday, Ukraine launched more than 100 drones it had smuggled into Russia to strike air bases there, damaging or destroying as many as 20 strategic aircraft thousands of miles apart. That sent defense officials in some NATO nations rushing to assess whether they, too, could be vulnerable, if an adversary using drones could severely hobble a big military power -- be it Russia, China or even the United States."This is more than an isolated incident -- it's a glimpse into the character of future conflict, where war won't be confined to neatly drawn front lines," said James Patton Rogers, a drone warfare expert at Cornell University. He said the urgent question for NATO, after "an impressive attack by Ukraine," is to determine the vulnerabilities of its own air bases, bombers and critical the Ukrainian barrage, Russia had intensified a near-daily deluge of long-range drones to attack military and civilian targets across Ukraine, demonstrating an ability to launch thousands of uncrewed aircraft as quickly as they are built, experts said. By comparison, defense manufacturers in the United States and Europe have struggled for more than three years to ramp up weapons knows it has much to year, NATO opened a joint training center with Ukrainian forces in Poland to share lessons from Russia's invasion. Ukraine's military is the largest (aside from Russia's) and most battled-tested in Europe, even if it is struggling to maintain territory in its border the same time, much of the military alliance is still focused on warfare of the past, and unable to keep up with an unending stream of cyberattacks and other hybrid activity that threatens energy infrastructure, financial institutions and government databases lying far beyond traditional front protects its aircraft with more than 3,000 hardened shelters, while the United States has exposed tarmacs "and assumptions," Simone Ledeen, a top Pentagon policy official during President Donald Trump's first term, wrote on social media after Ukraine's broad drone attack."A well-timed swarm could blind us before we're airborne," Ledeen U.S. military reported 350 drone sightings across about 100 military installations last year, Gen. Gregory Guillot, the head of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, told lawmakers in February.A new government review of Britain's defense capabilities, released this week, made clear that other alliance members are also aware of their forced to fight in the next few years, the review said, Britain and its allies could find themselves battling adversaries with newer weapons and technology. It called for heavy investment in air and land drones, including stockpiling one-way attack drones -- those that kill by smashing into their targets and exploding."Whoever gets new technology into the hands of their armed forces the quickest will win," the review Russia and Ukraine have spent billions of dollars to build their respective drone fleets since the war years ago, Ukraine produced about 800,000 drones; this year it is projected to churn out more than 5 million, said Kateryna Bondar, a former adviser to Ukraine's government who is now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies research group in Washington. Among them are weapons known as " missile drones " because they can purportedly fly as far as 1,800 last weekend, before the surprise attack on Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine told allies he hoped to scale up his military's drone program with additional financial backing. "Our operations show the impact that investment can have, especially in drones," he agreed, pledging Wednesday to help Ukraine procure 100,000 drones this year -- 10 times more than initially which is projected to spend more than 7% of its gross domestic product on defense this year, has saturated Ukraine's skies and overwhelmed its air defenses with more than 1,000 drones each week since March, experts say. Most of them are Geran-series drones -- Russia's homegrown version of the Iranian-designed long-range Shahed attack aircraft -- some of which cost as little as $20,000 to far cheaper than, for example, a $1 million long-range Storm Shadow missile, the Geran drones are still likely costing Russia several millions of dollars each day."If they can launch hundreds of these a day, that means they have to manufacture hundreds of these a day as well," said Samuel Bendett, an expert on Russian drones and other weapons at the Center for Naval uptick has coincided with ceasefire talks Trump is pushing as Russia seeks to seize more territory in Ukraine before any settlement is also aims to remind the world of Russia's enduring might -- even if it still suffers setbacks like Ukraine's weekend strikes."No one, really, in Europe is prepared to adequately handle this type of threat," Bendett said.
