Russian President Vladimir Putin has signalled his willingness for direct talk with the Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to Reuters, for the first time in years, Putin proposed bilateral talks with Ukraine to stop attacks on the civilian targets.
Speaking to a Russian state TV reporter on Monday, April 21, 2025, “We have always talked about this, that we have a positive attitude towards any peace initiatives. We hope that representatives of the Kyiv regime will feel the same way.”
He also told reporter Pavel Zarubin that fighting had resumed after a brief Easter ceasefire but Russia is open to any peace initiative.
Kremlin decodes Putin statement
After Putin’s comments, Interfax news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying, “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."
Ukraine stood by its proposal
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian leader in his late-night video address said that Ukraine stood by its proposal to at least not strike the civilian targets, and it expects a clear response from Russia.
Without referring to Putin's comments, he added that Ukraine is ready for “any conversation” to achieve this proposal.
Notably, Russia and Ukraine have not been involved in direct talks since the early weeks after the February 2022 invasion, and the two sides are constantly facing pressure from US President Donald Trump for a peace deal.
