By the time Vladimir Putin spoke in a televised address in the early hours of May 11th—bluntly ignoring the ultimatum while offering direct negotiations laden with multiple strings—the moment had lost all clarity.

Kyiv has not responded to the invitation, which comes hours after European leaders urged Moscow to commit to a 30-day ceasefire.

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed holding direct talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul, Turkey, in what would be the first face-to-face meeting between the warring nations since peace talks began earlier this year.