Russian President Putin issued a statement in the early morning of the 11th local time, proposing that Russia and Ukraine unconditionally restart direct negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey on the 15th. In response, Ukrainian President Zelensky said on the evening of the 11th that Ukraine hopes that Russia and Ukraine will achieve a comprehensive and protracted ceasefire from the 12th, and he will "wait" for Russian President Putin to the talks in Türkiye.

  It is very difficult for Russia and Ukraine to achieve direct negotiations in the short term

  Experts said that the suggestions put forward by Russia are constructive, but it is very difficult to achieve direct negotiations in the short term.

  Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Russian Institute of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: Putin's proposal for peace talks this time clearly defines the specific time and location, and emphasizes that this is a continuation of the negotiations held by Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in March 2022. It can be based on the consensus at that time, including some draft documents formed, reflecting that Russia does have relevant preparations and takes negotiations very seriously, because this is indeed a necessary step to achieve a conflict resolution, so it is a certain constructiveness. In addition, the US mediation has not yet achieved actual results, and it still requires direct dialogue between the two sides. Russia also hopes to use this suggestion to respond to the 30-day unconditional ceasefire proposed by Ukraine. However, the feasibility of the negotiations on May 15 remains doubtful. Ukraine insists that Russia must first achieve an unconditional ceasefire before launching negotiations, and this position has been supported by major European countries.

  On the 11th local time, Ukrainian President Zelensky said in his evening video speech that Ukraine expects Russia to implement a comprehensive, lasting and reliable ceasefire from the 12th. Zelensky stressed that achieving a comprehensive and unconditional ceasefire will create the necessary foundation for diplomatic efforts. Zelensky said he would travel to Türkiye on May 15 and looked forward to meeting with Russian President Putin.

  The demands of both parties are hugely different from negotiation or ceasefire first

  Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Russian Institute of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: On the surface, the dispute between Russia and Ukraine over whether to negotiate first or ceasefire first seems to be just a simple difference in the order of procedures. However, behind this appearance is actually a more complex situation. A ceasefire cannot be reached by one party unilaterally. It not only requires common recognition from both parties to the conflict, but also requires formal and effective contact and consultation between the two parties. Although there have been relevant ceasefire attempts before, they have not been truly implemented due to various reasons.

  Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Russian Institute of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: From the perspective of the demands of both sides, the differences are significant. Russia's core demands are to resolve many key issues mentioned in the 2022 negotiations, such as in-depth exploration and resolving the root causes of the conflict, firmly demanding NATO to stop military aid to Ukraine, and ensuring that Ukraine will not join NATO. Ukraine, on the other hand, still focuses on winning aid from Western countries, resolutely not to give up its own territorial sovereignty, nor is it willing to give up its goal of joining NATO. Based on this, there is already a huge gap between Russia and Ukraine on the prerequisites for negotiations. In addition, both sides are now in a dilemma of accusing each other of their lack of sincerity. In this lack of a foundation of mutual trust, whether it is to promote the negotiation process or to truly achieve a ceasefire, they face extremely difficult challenges and require more difficult efforts from both sides.

[Editor in charge: Wang Jinzhi]