Putin is saying no to ceasefire demands, without actually saying nopublished at 10:16 British Summer Time 11 May

10:16 BST 11 May

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

Image source, SPUTNIK

President Zelensky’s statement made in response to Vladimir Putin’s offer of talks is somewhat ambiguous: "and Ukraine is ready to meet" instead of "and then Ukraine will be ready to meet" after Russia ceases fire.

But then Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, introduced more clarity on Ukraine’s position in a statement of his own: "First a ceasefire for 30 days, then everything else."

Yet again, we have heard Vladimir Putin say no without saying no.

The coalition of the willing and Ukraine are demanding a ceasefire to start on Monday without preconditions. Putin offers talks with Ukraine to start on Thursday without preconditions. Not the same thing.

Commenting on Putin’s proposal for direct talks on Thursday, a professor of political science at the University of California tells the BBC his move comes from “the desire to avoid being forced into a ceasefire”.

Daniel Treisman says Putin was “put on the spot” by the 30-day ceasefire call made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders yesterday.

“Putin is doing his usual judo move and trying to get out of the thing he is trying to avoid by proposing something else,” he says.

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

Image source, National Police of Ukraine

The Ukrainian military has reported numerous Russian drone attacks the day after Vladimir Putin's Victory Day three-day ceasefire ended.

Overnight, Russia attacked Ukraine with 108 drones, the Ukrainian air force says.

This is slightly fewer than the average number immediately before the start of the ceasefire, but means Russia has resumed attacking Ukraine with Shahed strike drones.

According to the Ukrainian air force, 101 of the drones were intercepted or fell without causing any damage.

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

Image source, EPA

A key aide to President Zelensky has said Russia must agree to a ceasefire before direct talks can begin between the two countries.

"First a ceasefire for 30 days, then everything else. Russia must not camouflage its desire to continue the war with verbal contortions," Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president's office, said on social media.

"Ceasing fire is the first step towards ending the war, and it will confirm Russia's readiness to end the murder."

Image source, EPA

French President Emmanuel Macron has responded to Zelensky’s earlier comments, saying “a ceasefire is needed now, so that talks can begin”.

Macron says he and other European leaders, along with US President Donald Trump, yesterday clearly proposed an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting on Monday.

He says Zelensky has agreed to it, and the countries are expecting “an equally clear response from Russia”.

“There can be no negotiations while weapons are speaking,” he says.

A cautious and diplomatic responsepublished at 09:05 British Summer Time 11 May

09:05 BST 11 May

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Ukraine’s President Zelensky has given a cautious and diplomatic response to Vladimir Putin’s late-night offer of direct talks in Istanbul next Thursday.

The Ukrainian leader might have been expected to slam his opposite number in Moscow for not committing to a 30-day ceasefire, as demanded by Kyiv and its Western allies.

Instead, writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Zelensky called it "a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war".

It’s hard to tell if that is really the case but this is as much about optics as anything else. Neither Putin nor Zelensky want to be seen by Donald Trump as the obstacle to peace.

President Zelensky added that Ukraine expected Russia to confirm it would abide by that 30-day ceasefire, starting on Monday.

French President Macron meanwhile, who was here in Kyiv yesterday, said today that Putin’s proposal was ‘not enough’ and that the Russian leader was buying time, ‘looking for a way out’.

President Trump’s reaction however, was markedly upbeat. Writing on his Truth Social online platform, he hinted once again that this war was close to ending. He wrote: ‘A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!’.

After yet another air raid warning here this morning, that is not how it feels in Kyiv.

Image source, EPA

We've just heard from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who says Kyiv is ready to meet Russia for ceasefire talks.

Without responding directly to Putin’s invitation for talks in Istanbul, he says: “It is a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war.”

He adds: “The entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time. And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire.”

“There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day. We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire – full, lasting, and reliable – starting tomorrow, 12 May, and Ukraine is ready to meet.”

As sirens sound in Ukraine, could Trump throw Putin a diplomatic lifeline?published at 08:36 British Summer Time 11 May

08:36 BST 11 May

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

What Ukraine badly needs from its allies is an uninterrupted flow of air defences to fend off the ever-growing numbers of drones and missiles being fired across the common border at Kyiv and other major cities.

Shortly after dawn today, Sunday, we were woken by an air raid alert and sirens went off as more Russian drones were launched.

On 9 May the US Embassy in Kyiv issued a warning to its citizens that there was "a significant risk of air raids in the coming days".

One of the biggest concerns is that the Kremlin may launch another ‘Oreshnik’ hypersonic ballistic missile like the one its forces fired at a factory in Dnipro last November.

With speeds approaching ten times the speed of sound, Russia boasts that this missile is ‘unstoppable’.

So now the key question is what President Trump does next and this could go either way.

He could decide that his opposite number in Moscow is simply stringing him along, finding one excuse after another not to agree to a ceasefire.

Or, given his historic warm relations with Vladimir Putin, will he throw the Russian leader a diplomatic lifeline and put pressure on Ukraine instead to sit down in Istanbul and listen to Moscow’s demands?

Russia and Ukraine still far apart on peace talkspublished at 08:11 British Summer Time 11 May

08:11 BST 11 May

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent, reporting from Kyiv

President Putin’s late night offer of direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul next Thursday is unlikely to be welcomed in Kyiv.

First off, he has not agreed to yesterday’s demand by Ukraine and its allies for a 30-day ceasefire starting tomorrow, Monday.

Instead, Putin wants to address what he calls ‘the root causes of the conflict’.

From his perspective, that means Ukraine’s unacceptable ambition to be part of a prosperous, democratic Europe rather than returning to Moscow’s orbit and become a pliant, satellite nation like Belarus. He will also want a firm undertaking that Ukraine will never join NATO.

Moscow demanded yesterday that before any ceasefire can start the West must stop arming Ukraine. That of course would leave this country that much less able to fend off Russia’s gradual advances on the frontline or worse, a new full-scale offensive to take more land.

Putin sidesteps European leaders' ultimatumpublished at 07:50 British Summer Time 11 May

07:50 BST 11 May

Steve Rosenberg
Russia editor

European leaders delivered an ultimatum to Vladimir Putin. Agree to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire by Monday or face massive new sanctions.

In a late-night statement delivered in the Kremlin President Putin criticised European powers which he said spoke with Russia in a boorish manner and with the help of ultimatums.

He sidestepped this particular one.

Presenting instead his own proposal: direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul next Thursday – he said he would speak to President Erdogan of Turkey later today to facilitate such talks.

Crucially, the Kremlin did not sign up to a 30-day ceasefire.

Although, he didn’t exclude the possibility that if talks in Istanbul went ahead they could lead to, what he described as, “new ceasefires.”

The Kremlin event was expected to be a press conference about recent World war Two commemorations in Russia – but Mr Putin took no questions. And left the hall after delivering his statement.

Image source, Reuters

Trump has said Putin's announcement means this could be a "potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine".

In a post on Truth Social, the US president said: "Think of the hundreds and thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending "bloodbath" hopefully comes to an end."

"It will be a whole new, and much better world," he added, vowing that he will "continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens".

Image source, EPA

As we've just mentioned, European leaders met in Kyiv on Saturday. Their visit coincided with a three-day unilateral truce in the Ukraine-Russia war, which was declared by Moscow.

The truce, which was in place from 8 to 10 May, coincided with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

Kyiv rejected Putin’s proposal, calling it a "theatrical show".

Fighting did appear to decrease during this period, although both sides accused each other of breaking the ceasefire.

On Thursday, Ukraine accused Russia of more than 730 violations and said it was responding "appropriately".

Meanwhile, Russia’s defence ministry insisted the truce was being observed, and accused Ukraine of 488 violations.

Image source, EPA

On Saturday, leaders from the UK, France, Germany and Poland travelled to Kyiv to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Their visit was seen as a symbolic response to the more than 20 leaders who joined President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for Russia's Victory Day commemorations on Friday.

While in Kyiv, the leaders held a virtual call with countries in the coalition of the willing. They also communicated with US President Donald Trump.

Afterwards, the leaders held a news conference, urging Russia to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine starting on Monday.

They warned "new and massive" sanctions would be placed on Moscow if it does not comply with the ceasefire.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "All of us here together with the US are calling Putin out. If he is serious about peace, then he has a chance to show it."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Ukraine to take part in "direct talks" on 15 May.

Putin said Russia was seeking "serious negotiations" aimed at "moving towards a lasting, strong peace".

Putin added he could "not rule out" the possibility that the talks could result in Russia and Ukraine agreeing "a new truce".

He did not address calls for a 30-day ceasefire directly.

The Russian leader said the proposed talks should be held in the Turkish city of Istanbul, as they have been before, and that he would speak to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday to discuss the details.

As a reminder, Kyiv has not responded to Putin's invitation.

Matt Spivey
Live editor

In a rare televised late-night address from the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Ukraine to take part in "direct talks" on 15 May.

Putin said Russia was seeking "serious negotiations" in the Ukraine-Russia war aimed at "moving towards a lasting, strong peace".

Kyiv is yet to respond.

His announcement came hours after European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, met in Kyiv.

The counterparts from the UK, France, Germany, Poland and Ukraine - who form part of the "coalition of the willing" - warned "new and massive" sanctions would be imposed on Russia should Putin not agree to the unconditional 30-day ceasefire.

US President Donald Trump described Putin's announcement as a "potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine", in a post on Truth Social.

We'll be bringing you the latest updates and analysis throughout the day, stay with us.

Rorey Bosotti
Live page editor

Image source, Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of the UK, France, Germany and Poland reasserted their commitment to a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine after meeting in Kyiv today.

The talks, which involved a virtual "coalition of the willing" meeting with 30 or so global leaders, were followed by a call with US President Donald Trump - who is said to have reiterated his support for the ceasefire, after Putin rejected the US's initial proposal back in March.

"All of us here, together with the US are calling Putin out," Keir Starmer said in a news conference, warning it's now time for the Russian leader to show he's "serious about peace".

Starmer, alongside Zelensky, Macron, Merz and Tusk, confirmed European leaders are ready to act together and impose "new and massive" sanctions on Russia's energy and banking sectors, should Putin fail to agree to the truce.

The Kremlin quickly reacted to the latest developments by accusing European leaders of making "contradictory" and "generally confrontational" remarks about Russia. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov also brushed off the threat of new sanctions, saying Moscow can simply take its business elsewhere.

But in the last few minutes, state-run Russian news agency Tass reported Peskov had said Russia would consider the 30-day ceasefire proposal. "We need to think about this. This is a new development," he's reported to have said.

We'll soon end our coverage of today's ceasefire talks but you can catch up with the latest in our story. Thank you for sticking with us.

More now from Starmer's interview with the BBC's chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman.

Zeffman challenges the prime minister on the efficacy of the proposals, highlighting comments from former Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, who wrote in a social media post: "Shove these peace plans".

Starmer says: "We haven't seen unity like this - pretty well - throughout the conflict so to get the European allies, US, New Zealand, Canada all on one page.

"Putin of course cannot be trusted but this now is a unified call for an unconditional ceasefire - backed up by sanctions."

The prime minister adds: "By further coordinating sanctions on oil, fossil fuels etc, will make a material difference. You've got unity in the demand but also unity in what the response will be if the demand is not met."

Starmer has been speaking to the BBC's chief political correspondent, Henry Zeffman, in Kyiv about the 30-day ceasefire proposal agreed by European leaders.

The UK prime minister says that he and his European counterparts agreed "material progress in relation to the ceasefire", adding that they will "step up and play our part" to "preserve peace" and bring about the cease of hostilities.

"Putin, of course, cannot be trusted," he says, before discussing the the threat of further sanctions on Russia.

"There are sanctions in place at the moment, they are already having an impact on the Russian economy, so by further co-ordinating sanctions on oil, on fossil fuels, etc. will make a material difference," he says.

Asked if US President Donald Trump is exasperated by Putin, he says Trump is "absolutely clear that this is a demand that must be met" - referring to the proposed ceasefire.

Image source, EPA

In the last few hours, Volodymyr Zelensky has offered further insight into the 30-day ceasefire proposal he agreed with the leaders of the UK, France, Germany and Poland.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what Zelensky says is in the proposal:

• An unconditional, 30-day ceasefire starting from Monday 12 May "in the air, at sea and on land"
• "Monitoring its implementation is absolutely doable – in coordination from the United States, this is realistic," Zelensky says
• Discussions on the "security, political and humanitarian foundations for peace" should begin during the pause
• If Russia refuses the terms for an unconditional truce, further sanctions on its energy and banking sectors will be applied

Zelensky says Ukraine's EU partners are already working on a "strong" new package of sanctions in coordination with the UK, the US and Norway.

"It was agreed that a clear priority is strengthening Ukraine’s defence and security forces as the primary guarantee of Ukraine’s sovereignty and security," he adds.

"A key element of the security guarantees should also be the support contingent."

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are continuing their visit in Kyiv with visits to a memorial wall for Ukrainian servicemen who died in the war.

They also joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a visit to the Saint Sophia Cathedral.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters