Istanbul talks proposal and Kyiv's ceasefire demand, 13 May 2025
A look back at the diplomatic positions on the table in the days before the proposed Istanbul meeting.
What did the two sides want from each other on 13 May 2025? The diplomatic picture that day was shaped by two positions set out on 11 May 2025.
On 11 May, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed direct negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey, on 15 May. The proposal came after the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland threatened further sanctions if Russia did not agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire beginning on 12 May.
The same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Russia to confirm an unconditional ceasefire before any direct negotiations between the two countries took place. The sequence was therefore in dispute: Moscow offered talks first, while Kyiv asked for a confirmed ceasefire first.
The wider positions
The exchange sat within a longer series of peace efforts since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. As later described, Putin has sought recognition of all occupied land as Russian, guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO, curtailment of Ukraine's military and the lifting of sanctions. Zelenskyy has sought a ceasefire, full withdrawal of Russian troops, the return of prisoners and kidnapped Ukrainian children, prosecution of Russian leaders for war crimes, and security guarantees against further aggression.
By 13 May 2025, then, the question was one of order as much as substance: whether a ceasefire would come before talks, or talks before a ceasefire.
