BEIJING, May 14. /TASS/. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva plans to return to Moscow after his visit to China to discuss with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the Ukrainian authorities' appeal on potential talks and the composition of delegations in Istanbul on May 15.
"When I stop by in Moscow, I’ll try to talk to Putin [about this]," Lula da Silva said at a press conference in Beijing.
The Brazilian president also mentioned that, during his visit to Russia on May 8-10, he received a request from Vladimir Zelensky to inquire about the Russian authorities' plans to announce a ceasefire. "Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira received a call from the top Ukrainian diplomat. The latter said that Zelensky would like me to find out whether Putin was ready to pursue a peace agreement," Lula da Silva noted. "Vieira told me about Zelensky's request," he added.
The Brazilian leader said he passed on the request as soon as he met with Putin. "I had the opportunity to have dinner with Putin, and that was the first thing I asked," he said.
On May 11, Vladimir Putin, speaking to reporters in the Kremlin, suggested that the Kiev authorities resume without preconditions the direct talks Ukraine broke off in 2022, proposing to launch a dialogue on May 15 in Istanbul. Putin also noted that Russia has repeatedly declared ceasefires, which have been continuously violated by the Kiev regime, including the last three-day truce imposed during the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
In turn, Vladimir Zelensky said that he would arrive in Istanbul on Thursday. His statement came after US President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to immediately agree to the talks proposed by the Russian leader. Earlier, Zelensky had conditioned talks with Moscow on the introduction of a month-long ceasefire.