Putin Puts Forward Plan to Coerce Ukraine to Peace

In the night of May 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed that Kyiv begin direct negotiations as soon as possible, resuming the "Istanbul format" talks that were interrupted in 2022. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded that Moscow agree to a 30-day ceasefire starting on May 12 as a necessary condition. He also added that he would personally travel to Turkey and wait there for the Russian president. Ukraine Has Complicated Its Own Position Before Istanbul By breaking the agreements made three years ago, Kyiv has created even more problems for itself. In addition to the previously reached understandings, Moscow will now demand recognition of its control over the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. With his proposal, Putin has successfully challenged the West, causing confusion among many politicians. Predictably, President Putin rejected the opponent's ceasefire plan for a 30-day truce in the conflict zone. Speaking to journalists on the night of May 11, he ignored the proposal and firmly pointed out that Ukrainian forces (AFU) had consistently violated all previous ceasefires — the Easter truce, the Victory Day truce, and even the 30-day moratorium on mutual energy strikes proposed earlier by the United States. Thus, there is clearly no trust in Kyiv's proposals. Putin called things by their names — defining the conflict as a war, not a "special military operation.”