But with Russian forces grinding forward, the Kremlin chief has offered few, if any, concessions so far.
In his overnight address, he proposed what he said would be “direct negotiations without any preconditions”.
But almost immediately, senior Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters the talks must take into account both an abandoned 2022 draft peace framework and the current situation on the ground.
This language is shorthand for Kyiv agreeing to permanent neutrality in return for a security guarantee and accepting that Russia controls swathes of Ukraine.
Ukraine says agreeing to the terms of the 2022 draft would be tantamount to capitulation.
PUTIN REJECTS “ULTIMATUMS”
Putin dismissed what he said was an attempt to lay down “ultimatums” in the form of Western European and Ukrainian demands for a ceasefire starting on Monday. His foreign ministry spelt out that talks about the root causes of the conflict must precede discussions of a ceasefire.
Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker and has repeatedly promised to end the war, earlier responded to Putin’s address by saying that this could be “a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine”.
Although Russia did not commit to it, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s ceasefire plan for Monday still stood.
“We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy,” he wrote on X.
Speaking in his nightly address, Zelenskyy said he was still waiting for a response from the Russian side, and that Ukrainian forces would respond in kind if Russian troops did not observe a truce.
The US embassy in Kyiv issued a warning on Friday of a “potentially significant” Russian air attack in the coming days.
