Zelenskiy received the backing of Europe s major powers and U.S. President Donald Trump for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire beginning on Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin responded early on Sunday with a proposal for direct talks with Kyiv starting on Thursday in Turkey.

"It is a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war ... And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire," Zelenskiy said on X.

"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, May 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet."

Andriy Yermak, Zelenskiy s chief of staff, said on Telegram, first there had to be a ceasefire, "then everything else".

He said Russia should not disguise its desire to continue the war by playing with words.

It was a sentiment shared by other Ukrainian officials.

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Andriy Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine s National Security and Defence Council, wrote on the Telegram messenger: "A complete ceasefire, Russia must agree to something it is constantly trying to avoid."