内容摘要：Others shared a more skeptical view. Iryna Vasylevska, a 37-year-old Kyiv resident, expressed frustration and disillusionment with the broader implications of the deal.

Others shared a more skeptical view. Iryna Vasylevska, a 37-year-old Kyiv resident, expressed frustration and disillusionment with the broader implications of the deal.

French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Saturday and issued a coordinated call for a 30-day truce starting Monday. The plan has received backing from both the European Union and Trump.The leaders pledged tougher sanctions on Russia if Putin did not accept the proposal.

in remarks to the media overnight effectively rejected the offer and proposedin Istanbul on Thursday instead “without preconditions.” He did not specify whether the talks on Thursday would involve Zelenskyy and himself personally.He said a ceasefire might be agreed on during the negotiations — but stressed that the Kremlin needs a truce that would lead to a “lasting peace” instead of one that would allow Ukraine to rearm and mobilize more men into its armed forces.

Zelenskyy said on X on Sunday morning that it was a “positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war,” but insisted on a ceasefire first.Putin and Zelenskyy have only met once — in 2019. After repeated unsuccessful calls for a personal meeting with the Russian leader early on in the war, and following the Kremlin’s decision in September 2022 to illegally annex four regions of Ukraine, Zelenskyy enacted a decree declaring that holding negotiations with Putin had become impossible.

Macron said Sunday that Putin’s offer of direct negotiations with Ukraine is “a first step, but not enough,” signaling continued Western skepticism toward Moscow’s intentions.

“An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations,” Macron told reporters at the Polish-Ukrainian border, according to French media, adding that Putin is “looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time.”“Russia has consistently rejected everything and continues to manipulate the world, trying to deceive the United States,” he said.

He also said in his nightly address late Monday that the ceasefire “must be immediate, full, and unconditional — for at least 30 days to ensure it is secure and guaranteed.”Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Ukraine hasn’t properly responded to Putin’s announcement and accused Kyiv officials of conniving.

“I would say that not giving a direct response to such an initiative by President Putin is, rather, a manipulation,” Peskov told reporters.The Institute for the Study of War said Putin likely wants to avoid the embarrassment of Ukrainian strikes on Victory Day, when foreign dignitaries will be visiting Moscow to mark the day.