Moscow, May 11 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for "direct talks" with Ukraine, saying that they should "start without delay, as early as May 15", media reports said.
"We seek serious talks... to remove the root causes of the conflict and start moving towards a lasting, strong peace", Putin said on Saturday, in a rare televised late-night address from the Kremlin, the BBC reported on Sunday.
It came hours after the European leaders - including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron - visited Ukraine and urged Russia to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had said in response that Moscow would "have to think this through" - but warned that "trying to ...