"India welcomes direct talks announced between Russia and Ukraine": MEA

While addressing a press briefing on Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India has consistently advocated the need for engagement between Russia and Ukraine to achieve peace.

"We welcome the direct talks that have been announced between Russia and Ukraine. The talks present an opportunity for both parties to address their concerns through dialogue and diplomacy. India has consistently advocated the need for sincere and practical engagement between Russia and Ukraine to ensure early and abiding peace," Jaiswal said.

Jaiswal's remarks come after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday called for resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine, urging that they begin as soon as May 15 in Istanbul.

In a televised address shared by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Putin emphasised that the talks should take place "without any preconditions" and that Turkey, under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, should once again serve as the host.

"We suggest the authorities in Kyiv to resume direct talks, which they themselves interrupted in 2022," Putin declared. "We propose to start the talks without delay, next week, on May 15, in Istanbul."

Putin had further elaborated on the choice of venue, noting, "I'm referring to direct talks without any preconditions, and we propose to start immediately next Thursday on the 15th of May in Istanbul. The venue that held them before. Well, it is well known that the Turkish colleagues organised, well, proposed their services to organise such talks, and President Erdogan did a lot to organise those talks in the past."

Reflecting on previous discussions, Putin stated, "As a result of those talks back then, a draft of a joint agreement was prepared and initialled by the head of the Kiev negotiating teams, but upon the behest of the West, it was thrown into the little bin." He indicated that Western influence had disrupted the progress made during those negotiations.

The Russian President stressed that the goal of these negotiations was to address the "root causes of the conflict" and achieve a long-lasting peace. "We are committed to holding serious talks with Ukraine in order to eliminate the root causes of the conflict to arrive at a long-lasting peace in the long run, in the long historical run," Putin said.

Putin also addressed the possibility of achieving new ceasefires during these discussions. "I can't rule out that during those talks we will be able to negotiate and come to terms over new ceasefires or truces, real ones that would be respected not only by Russia but the Ukrainian side," he explained.

The proposal came amid increasing international pressure for a ceasefire. Western leaders, including those from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Poland, recently stood alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, urging Russia to agree to a 30-day ceasefire or face severe sanctions.

US President Donald Trump also weighed in, warning that "if the ceasefire is not respected, the US and its partners will impose further sanctions." Trump, who has made ending the conflict in Ukraine a priority of his administration, has dispatched his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Moscow for high-level discussions. (ANI)