President Vladimir Putin has proposed direct negotiations with Kiev without preconditions

Egypt has welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal to hold direct talks with Ukraine, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement on Monday. Cairo has maintained a neutral stance on the conflict, advocating for dialogue and a diplomatic resolution.

On Sunday Putin urged Kiev to resume talks that were suspended in 2022, stating that discussions could take place on May 15 in Istanbul, Türkiye, without preconditions.

Egypt welcomes the "constructive diplomatic efforts" aimed at resolving the conflict "peacefully," the country's foreign ministry's statement said.

Ukraine, with the backing of several West European states, has demanded that Russia agree to a ceasefire first as a precondition for talks. The Kremlin has rejected what it described as an ultimatum.

Following calls by US President Donald Trump for Kiev to "immediately" accept the Putin's proposal for direct unconditional talks, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky said he would be "personally" waiting for the Russian president in Türkiye on Thursday. However, he insisted that Kiev still expects "a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow [Monday], to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy."

Moscow has maintained it seeks a permanent solution rather than a temporary one. It has rejected Kiev's truce demand, claiming that Ukraine would use the pause to rearm and regroup its military. Putin accused Kiev of violating the three previous ceasefires offered by Moscow: the 30-day US-brokered moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure, which expired last month, the unconditional Easter ceasefire, and the recently-lapsed 72-hour Victory Day ceasefire.

Asked on Monday about the latest developments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow remained committed to "resuming direct talks in Istanbul without any preconditions."

Putin's peace talks proposal has also been welcomed by several other countries, including China, which called for a "fair, lasting, binding peace agreement" through negotiations.

Vietnam and Venezuela have also voiced their support, with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro saying the sentiment was shared by the "majority of the governments and people of Latin America and the Caribbean."

(RT.com)