EU's top diplomat: No ceasefire, no peace talks with Russia

Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has accused Russia of "playing games" and said that a ceasefire must be established before any negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine begin. 

As reported by the Guardian, Kallas mentioned more than 100 Russian drones that the Russian Federation used to attack Ukraine overnight. 

"We have to put pressure on Russia to really want peace and to sit down and to talk with Ukraine," she asserted, accusing Moscow of "playing games."

"If they are continuing bombing Ukraine all the time, if there’s no ceasefire, there can’t be talks under fire," the head of EU diplomacy told reporters.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares believes that if a potential meeting in Istanbul on Thursday 15 May is only a way for the Russian Federation to waste time, then it makes no sense. 

In his late-night address on 11 May, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin stated he was ready for "direct negotiations" with Kyiv in Istanbul on Thursday 15 May.

US President Donald Trump publicly called on Ukraine to accept Russia’s proposal for direct negotiations in Türkiye, despite the Kremlin’s refusal to agree to a 30-day ceasefire demanded by Kyiv and its Western allies.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed that Ukraine expects a full and lasting ceasefire from Russia starting 12 May, and declared that he will personally be waiting for the Kremlin leader in Istanbul for potential peace talks.