MOSCOW, May 14. /TASS/. It would make no sense for Moscow to halt the military operation in order to negotiate resolving the Ukraine conflict, falling for a trick of the "coalition of the willing," said former leader of the banned Opposition Platform — for Life party Viktor Medvedchuk.
"It makes no sense for Russia to put a stop to the hostilities, for even as it halted those for the sake of peace, and withdrew troops from Kiev in the spring of 2022, no peace ensued. <...> So why would Moscow fall for these vulgar tricks again?" he asked rhetorically in an opinion piece on Smotrim.ru.
Medvedchuk argued that the "coalition of the willing," demanding a ceasefire, proves to be as unwise as Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky. While "nobody engaged in a war" after Russian President Vladimir Putin ignored that demand, those "hapless leaders hardly realized that they have pushed the world to the brink of WWIII," he added.
Now, Medvedchuk argued, the "coalition of the willing" is trying to show to US President Donald Trump, who is pushing for a diplomatic solution, that Zelensky is a key supporter of peace and at the same time do its best to disrupt potential talks and continue the war that benefits Europe.
Putin’s proposal
Last weekend, following festivities marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War in Moscow, Putin invited Kiev to resume the direct talks they broke off in 2022 without any preliminary conditions. Speaking to reporters in the early hours of May 11, he proposed to launch a dialogue on May 15 in Istanbul. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be waiting for the Ukrainian side in Istanbul on Thursday.
Zelensky first insisted talks with Moscow be preceded by a 30-day ceasefire, an idea favored by the leading EU countries. Later, however, he said he will arrive in Turkey on May 15 as he expects to meet with Putin in Ankara or Istanbul. His position changed after Trump urged Ukraine to immediately agree to Putin’s proposal to negotiate in Istanbul.
On May 10, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited Kiev amid reports saying the European capitals will soon put forward their own truce proposal, similar to the US initiative. In the Ukrainian capital, the French leader said a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the "coalition of the willing" does not envisage a halt to weapons supplies to Kiev as he warned once again to impose more sanctions on Russia, should it reject the latest European initiative.