Secretary of State Marco Rubio said to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Foreign Secretary David Lammy that the US position on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war remains to end the fighting and reach an 'immediate ceasefire'.

Speaking on the call between Rubio and Lammy, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said: "The Secretary reaffirmed the U.S. position on the Russia-Ukraine war: our top priority remains bringing an end to the fighting and an immediate ceasefire."

Elaborating on Rubio's discussion with the German leader, Bruce said: "With respect to Ukraine, they discussed the meeting between the Chancellor, President Macron, Prime Minister Starmer, Prime Minister Tusk and President Zelenskyy in Kyiv and our shared goal of ending the war in Ukraine."

Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine aimed at ending the war, an initiative welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy who said Kyiv was willing to talk but Moscow must agree to a ceasefire.

Putin sent thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, unleashing a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and triggered the gravest confrontation between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

With Russian forces grinding forward, the Kremlin chief has offered few, if any, concessions so far but has proposed talks with Ukraine in the Turkish city of Istanbul that he said would be held without preconditions and aimed at a durable peace.

“We are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,” Putin said in a televised statement from the Kremlin that began after 1:30 a.m. on Sunday (2230 GMT Saturday). “We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul.”

Russia Will Need To End War: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said Russia will need to end the war.

He wrote on X: "Starting tomorrow, we await a ceasefire — this proposal is on the table. A full and unconditional ceasefire, one that lasts long enough to provide a necessary foundation for diplomacy, could significantly bring peace closer. Ukraine has long proposed this, our partners are proposing it, and the whole world is calling for it. We await a clear response from Russia."

"Russia will have to end this war anyway. The killings must stop. Ukrainian forces will be ready to respond symmetrically— to ensure fairness. We have repeatedly heard from our partners that they are prepared to strengthen sanctions against Russia if Putin rejects a ceasefire. Time will tell," he said.

Zelenskyy said: "Here in Ukraine, we have absolutely no problem engaging in negotiations, we are ready for any format. I will be in Türkiye this Thursday, May 15, and I expect Putin to come to Türkiye as well."