Trump breaks silence after Putin rejects May 12 ceasefire: What he said
Photo: Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Donald Trump has responded to the overnight statement by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, in which he proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine. The US president said he would continue working with both sides and called the upcoming week a big one in his post on the social media platform Truth Social.
"A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine! Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved if this never ending "bloodbath" hopefully comes to an end. It will be a whole new, and much better, WORLD. I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens. The US wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!" Trump concluded.
Putin refuses ceasefire but proposes talks
As reported earlier, Ukraine, the US, and the Coalition of the Willing had proposed a 30-day full ceasefire with Russia starting Monday, May 12. In fact, an ultimatum had been issued — either accept the ceasefire or face new sanctions against Russia.
Overnight, Putin made a public statement in which he ignored the proposed 30-day ceasefire. Instead, he offered to resume direct talks with Ukraine on Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul — without any preconditions.
Today, he is expected to speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during which he plans to ask for Istanbul to once again host the negotiations that were suspended back in 2022.
Putin also stated that the decision is now up to Kyiv. It is worth noting that, according to Ukrainian authorities, Ukraine is only willing to enter negotiations after a ceasefire is in place.
