Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine will negotiate directly with Russia later this week, but only if Moscow first signed an unconditional ceasefire, a response to Vladimir Putin's overnight proposal to negotiate in Turkey.

"Even if one day is to continue killing, it doesn't make sense. We hope Russia will start a ceasefire from tomorrow, May 12 - comprehensive, lasting and reliable - Ukraine is ready to meet."

His chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, was more clear in the telegram post to respond to Putin's suggestion that the delegation of Ukraine and Russia should meet in Istanbul this Thursday: "First is a 30-day ceasefire, then everything else."

The demand for a 30-day ceasefire was raised in a four-way visit to Kiev by leaders from Britain, France, Germany and Poland, who, along with Zelenskyy, called U.S. President Donald Trump and then held a joint press conference.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "Putin rejected the proposal, "We will work with President Trump to respond with all our partners, and we will strengthen sanctions and increase defense against Ukraine to put pressure on Russia to put pressure on Russia. ”

The Russian president's response to the final pass was an unusual form of a statement read to reporters in a ritual Kremlin room at 2 a.m. local time (midnight BST). He accused Ukraine of breaking the previous ceasefire, but said “nevertheless” he suggested a bipartisan gathering for talks, which he said could take place in Istanbul this Thursday. "We are ready to negotiate seriously with Ukraine and we want to resolve the root causes of the conflict," Putin said.

His tone seemed carefully calibrated to reject European demands, but also made Moscow seem to play a constructive role in the eyes of the Trump administration, which tends to be softer than in recent days. Putin pointed out that he would like to thank the new government for its efforts to resolve the conflict.

A few hours later, Trump's initial answer was posted on the "Truth Social Network", suggesting that the strategy may work. "This is a possible wonderful day for Russia and Ukraine! Think of thousands of lives to be saved because it never ends "bloody", and it will be an end. It will be a whole new and better world."

However, French President Emmanuel Macron took a different approach, writing on X on Sunday morning that negotiations were not possible until Putin agreed to a ceasefire.

He wrote: "President Zelensky promised without setting any conditions. We now expect a similarly clear response from Russia. Weapons cannot be negotiated while speaking. If civilians are bombed at the same time, dialogue is impossible."

The back and forth offer and final technique suggests a quick diplomacy surrounding the conflict, but behind the rhetoric, it is not clear how much of the basic positions of both sides have changed.

Ukraine and its European allies demand a full ceasefire, and then negotiations will begin with a comprehensive reconciliation, including the European "reliance force" within Ukraine.

Putin, on the other hand, was not very interested in an unconditional ceasefire, but wanted to continue fighting to increase Ukraine's pressure, demanding that Ukraine register many of Moscow's core needs, which have hardly changed since the beginning of the war. In addition to territorial claims on the areas it occupied, Moscow is expected to demand guarantees for Ukraine's future political and military decisions. The Kremlin has made it clear that it will not accept Western troops stationed in Ukraine.

Much of what happens now may depend on the position Trump takes and whether the European leaders who visited Keefe on Saturday could convince him that their view is that direct negotiations in the fight continue, unlikely to be beneficial to Ukraine.

In the hours after Putin's speech, Russia launched more than 100 drones in Ukraine as Putin unilaterally announced the end of a three-day ceasefire.

The ceasefire came on the 80th anniversary of the victory of World War II, Putin hosted a military parade in Moscow on Friday with guests including Chinese and Brazilian leaders. Kiev rejected the ceasefire, saying it was a cynical attempt to avoid attacks on Russia during the stadium parade, while Moscow continued to reject calls for a long ceasefire.