Putin ignores ceasefire proposal, demands Ukraine return to talks where he wanted his close ally in power
While the world talks peace, Vladimir Putin answers with a hundred drones. Lithuanian Foreign Minister
Kęstutis Budrys says the Russian president has once again resorted to terror in an attempt to derail any real path to resolving the war in Ukraine.
His remarks came after Ukraine, alongside France, Germany, the UK, and Poland, offered Russia a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. Should the Kremlin refuse, Ukraine’s allies plan to intensify sanctions. Instead of responding constructively, Putin dismissed the ceasefire proposal and called for a return to direct talks in Istanbul, as in 2022. Just hours after his statement, Ukraine was hit by a massive overnight swarm of more than 100 kamikaze drones.
“Putin is playing his usual game — wielding terror as leverage and stalling for time to avoid any real path to peace,” Budrys says, calling talk of peace amid ongoing Russian missile strikes a “farce.”
The Lithuanian foreign minister stresses that if Russia refuses the ceasefire by 12 May, a new package of tough sanctions must be imposed “without hesitation.”
Budrys also points out on X that Putin rushed to hold a press conference less than 24 hours after European leaders’ peace call — a sign, in his view, of the Kremlin’s fear of mounting international pressure.
“This approach works — and we must stick to it,” he adds.
During negotiations in Istanbul in 2022, Russia demanded that Ukraine appoint pro-Russian ex-MP Viktor Medvedchuk as head of state. Moscow has since used the failure of these talks to frame Ukraine as unwilling to pursue peace, claiming Kyiv is influenced by Western powers to prolong the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Russia also insisted on full control over Donbas, requiring Ukraine to amend its Constitution to recognize this, reduce its military to 50,000 personnel, and hold a referendum on adopting a neutral status. Additionally, Russia demanded that the Russian language be granted official status and that Ukraine dismantle all weapons with a range exceeding 20 kilometers.
