Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is open to bilateral peace talks with Ukraine, according to a report by Reuters.
He expressed willingness to consider a longer ceasefire than the brief 30-hour truce he unilaterally declared over the Easter weekend. Fighting resumed shortly after, with both sides accusing each other of violating the ceasefire.
The United States stated it would welcome an extension of the truce. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a 30-day ceasefire aimed at protecting civilian infrastructure.
Last month, Russia rejected a proposal by former U.S. President Donald Trump for a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire—a plan Ukraine had accepted. U.S. officials held parallel talks with both sides in Saudi Arabia, but the only agreement reached was for limited pauses in attacks on energy targets—an understanding both sides later accused each other of breaking.
Speaking to Russian state television, Putin said Moscow is open to any peace initiative and expects the same from Kyiv.
“We have always maintained a positive stance on a ceasefire, which is why we put forward such an initiative—especially during these sacred Easter days,” said Putin.
Asked about Zelensky’s 30-day ceasefire proposal focused on civilian targets, Putin responded: “That’s certainly a subject for careful study, potentially even bilateral. We do not rule it out.”
His spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, later confirmed that Putin was indeed referring to the possibility of direct talks with Ukraine.
