Russia Agrees To Hold Talks With Ukraine Amid U.S. Pressure, but Peace Will Remain Elusive

Russia's proposal for direct talks with Ukraine is a response to growing U.S. pressure, but divisions over ceasefire terms, territorial control and security guarantees will likely limit progress to modest de-escalation steps in the short term. On May 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected a call for a 30-day ceasefire that Kyiv and its European partners had made earlier that day, and instead proposed holding direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Turkey on May 15. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he would be in Istanbul on May 15 and was ready to meet with Putin there. During a May 11 phone call with Putin 1, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said his country was prepared to host the peace talks. While Russia has not confirmed whether Putin himself will travel to Istanbul, Russian and Ukrainian delegations are expected to hold some kind of bilateral meeting on May 15. A trilateral...