Brazil’s Lula says he’ll ask Putin to attend peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey

CNN reported the information.

Lula has had a visit to China and plans to travel to Moscow next. He told journalists that he intends to ask Putin for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. 

Lula also mentioned that when he stops in Moscow, he will suggest to Putin that he go to Istanbul for negotiations, noting it costs him nothing to make the offer.

He added, "While I was on my way to Moscow, Minister Mauro Vieira received a call from a Ukrainian colleague who asked if I could ask Putin whether he is ready to conclude a peace agreement."

Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul

In a nighttime address on May 11, Russian leader Vladimir Putin claimed he was ready for direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey next week, but he dismissed the idea of a 30-day truce. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would keep working with both sides and predicted that the coming week would be “great.”

On May 12, the German government announced that if Russia did not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by the end of the day, European partners would begin preparations for new sanctions. In contrast, the Kremlin stated that “the language of ultimatums is unacceptable for Russia.”

Advisor to the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, Mykhailo Podolyak, said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would not meet with any Russian representative other than Vladimir Putin in Turkey on May 15.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the talks in Istanbul with Kyiv should recognize the "realities on the ground," including Russia’s incorporation of Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed he will visit Turkey on May 15 to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He also said he is ready to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.