Putin wants to use talks to question Ukraine’s very existence — UK ambassador to the US

“When you look at the fine print, you see that he wants these talks to question the very existence of Ukraine as a free, democratic, and sovereign nation,” Mandelson said.

He added that over the weekend, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with munitions and drones.

“To us, it doesn’t seem serious, and we’re very glad that the Ukrainians accepted the ceasefire, as President [Donald] Trump asked them to. But the truth is, it looks like President Putin is trying to balance power with President Trump — and of course, as far as we in the United Kingdom are concerned, we want only one president to prevail in this standoff. And that’s President Trump, not President Putin,” Mandelson said. “So this may require additional pressure on Russia to bring them to the negotiating table.”

The proposed 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine

On May 10, French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv.

They held a phone call with US President Donald Trump and announced Ukraine’s readiness to enter into a full ceasefire starting May 12.

“If Russia agrees and effective monitoring is ensured, a reliable ceasefire will be in place, and trust-building measures could pave the way toward peace negotiations,” said Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that any counter-demands from Russia in response to the 30-day ceasefire initiative would be treated as a rejection of the truce. In that case, he said, several countries were already prepared to impose additional sanctions on Russia.

Later that same day, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin offered Ukraine direct talks “without preconditions” in Istanbul on May 15. In his address, however, Putin made no mention of the “coalition of the willing” initiative for a 30-day ceasefire set to begin May 12.

In an evening address on May 11, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the ceasefire proposal for May 12 remained “on the table.”

“Starting tomorrow, we expect a ceasefire — this proposal is on the table. A full and unconditional ceasefire — long-lasting, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy — could bring peace significantly closer. Ukraine has long proposed it, our partners have proposed it, the whole world is calling for it. We await a clear response from Russia. One way or another, Russia’s war will have to end. The killing must stop. Ukraine’s forces are ready to respond in kind — so that it’s fair. We have repeatedly heard from our partners that they are prepared to increase sanctions on Russia if Putin refuses the ceasefire,” the Ukrainian leader stressed.

Zelenskyy also said he would be in Türkiye on May 15.

“And I expect to see Putin in Türkiye. In person,” Zelenskyy emphasized.