Macron expresses skepticism on Putin peace discussions proposal

(MENAFN) French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed skepticism over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent proposal to resume direct peace negotiations with Ukraine. Speaking to reporters on Sunday after returning from Ukraine, Macron described the offer as merely “a first step,” but not sufficient to move the peace process forward.

Putin had earlier invited Ukraine to restart talks, which have been stalled since 2022, stating that Russia is ready to engage in dialogue “without any preconditions” and suggested May 15 in Istanbul as the venue. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed his country’s readiness to host the talks and called the opportunity a potential “historic turning point” during a call with Macron.

Despite this, Macron maintained that the peace process must begin with a “full and unconditional” 30-day ceasefire—a proposal previously put forth by leaders of Ukraine, the UK, and the EU, and reportedly backed by the United States. He criticized Putin’s offer as a tactic to stall for time, saying, “It’s a way of not responding… He still wants to buy time.”

Macron argued that an unconditional ceasefire must precede any talks, and urged unity with the U.S. in insisting on this point before negotiations can begin.

In contrast, U.S. President Donald Trump responded positively to Putin’s proposal, calling it “a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine” and hinting at major developments in the coming week. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky also welcomed the offer, calling it a “positive sign” and saying he’s ready to meet—but emphasized that a ceasefire should come first, ideally starting on May 12.

Russia, however, has warned that Ukraine could use a ceasefire as a tactical pause to regroup and rearm. Putin noted in his recent speech that Ukraine had already violated three previous truce proposals, including a 30-day U.S.-mediated pause on infrastructure strikes, an Easter ceasefire, and a 72-hour Victory Day truce.

The last round of direct Russia-Ukraine talks took place in Istanbul in 2022, with progress reportedly made on a draft peace agreement. However, Moscow claims the process collapsed due to interference from Ukraine’s Western allies. Since then, Zelensky has issued a decree prohibiting negotiations with Putin.

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