The Kremlin billed this as a meaningful statement from Vladimir Putin but how much does it actually mean?
His comments are exactly the same as what Moscow has been saying for weeks, only repackaged with a date. The latest attempt to avoid committing to a 30-day ceasefire.
Next Thursday – 15 May – is when he’s proposing to hold direct talks with Ukraine. Only then, he says, can they discuss the details of a longer truce.
Istanbul is apparently the venue. The trouble is, Turkey doesn’t appear to know about it. The Russian leader said he’d call President Erdogan tomorrow.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Given America’s apparent support for Europe’s ultimatum to Russia (ceasefire or sanctions), he had to respond with something new. But this felt like a proposal that had been hastily cobbled together in the corridor outside.
The build-up to this announcement was extremely strange. We were told it would be a press conference and everyone had the high expectation of being able to ask questions (which doesn’t happen very often here).
It was initially pitched as a sum-up of the bilateral meetings Putin has held this week with the leaders who were here for the Victory Day celebrations. But the ultimatum from Europe seems to have caught the Kremlin off guard.
Allies agree on 30-day Ukraine ceasefire but will Trump force Putin to comply?
Putin wants direct talks with Ukraine, but Zelenskyy and allies demand 30-day ceasefire from Monday
Russia’s Victory Day parade felt more like a celebration of war than peace
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Read more from Sky News:
Will Trump force Putin to comply with ceasefire?
Starmer pushes for unconditional ceasefire
Has Soviet rocket crash-landed in England?
Because by the time Putin finally emerged, approaching 2am, there were no questions. Just a statement. So what was the point in asking all the journalists to come?
Afterwards, I did manage to pose a question to Putin’s spokesperson, asking him if this was just another delaying tactic from Russia.
“No, this is a very serious approach,” he said.
“You have to be in negotiations, direct negotiations, in order to find a way for a ceasefire. A simplistic approach towards the ceasefire is inappropriate.”
The question is, will Donald Trump think this is inappropriate? It’s two months since he first proposed a 30-day ceasefire and it seems very little has changed.
