Apr 22, Kathmandu- Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed peace talks with Ukraine for the first time since the Ukraine war broke out.

Putin had previously announced a one-day unilateral ceasefire on the occasion of Easter. This is the second time he has proposed a ceasefire. Ukrainian President Zelensky has responded positively to the proposal. In a video message recorded late at night, Zelensky stressed that he was ready for any talks on a ceasefire that would be a positive step to stop attacks on Ukrainian civilians.

The United States has been pressuring both Putin and Zelensky to come to the negotiating table. Trump has threatened to withdraw from the effort if the two countries do not move forward on peace measures. Russia and Ukraine have said they are ready for a longer ceasefire after Moscow announced a 30-hour Easter ceasefire last weekend. But both sides have accused each other of violating it.

Ukraine is set to hold talks with the United States and European countries in London on Wednesday. The talks follow a meeting in Paris last week where the United States and European countries discussed ways to end the more than three-year-old war. Speaking to Russian state TV reporters on Saturday, Putin said that fighting had resumed after a unilaterally declared Easter ceasefire. He said Russia was open to any peace initiative and expected the same from Ukraine.

“We have always said that we have a positive attitude towards any peace initiative. We hope that the Ukrainian representatives feel the same way,” Putin told state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin.

The president said it was possible to discuss not attacking civilian areas, but he was considering holding talks and discussions with the Ukrainian side, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

There have been no direct talks between the two sides since the first weeks of Russia's massive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Zelensky said in a late-night video address that he stood by his proposal to stop attacks on civilian targets and was ready for any kind of discussion to achieve this. The US and Ukraine had previously framed it as a 30-day ceasefire.