Ukraine ready for immediate ceasefire

Ukraine is ready for an immediate ceasefire, but Russia must also adhere to the peace terms, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said during a visit to the peace talks in Istanbul.

Umerov announced today, May 16, after meeting with representatives of the United States and Turkey, that the delegation he led had "arrived in Istanbul with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace."

According to the minister, a ceasefire can only be achieved if Moscow takes concrete steps: agreeing to a 30-day ceasefire, approving humanitarian measures, returning Ukrainian children, and exchanging prisoners on an "all for all" basis.

The talks in Istanbul are expected to be the first direct dialogue between representatives of Ukraine and Russia since 2022. The Russian delegation is headed by Presidential Assistant Vladimir Medinsky.

However, a Ukrainian diplomatic source told Sky News that Russia had allegedly demanded a bilateral "one-on-one" meeting without the participation of the US and Turkey. Kiev rejected the offer, calling for international mediation.

"This shows that Moscow does not want peace. They came not to achieve any results, but to prolong the negotiations," the source said.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he was ready to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin "at an agreed time." However, he declined to attend the Istanbul talks, saying he would return to Washington immediately after his program in the UAE. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Turkey in his place.