Ukrainian president welcomes Russian overtures, but says ceasefire must come before peace talks

KYIV Ukraine AP Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is pleased to see that Russia is absolutely engaging with finding an end to the war but there must be a ceasefire before peace talks can start Calling it a positive sign he explained that 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 Russian President Vladimir Putin in remarks to the media overnight effectively rejected the ceasefire proposal and proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May instead Source