DONALD Trump has asked Ukraine to agree to direct peace talks with Russia next week after Vladimir Putin proposed to restart negotiations with Kyiv.

During a press conference at the Kremlin in the early hours of Sunday, Putin expressed his willingness to resume the negotiations that Russia and Ukraine conducted in 2022.

On Truth Social, Trump asserted that Putin is not interested in a ceasefire, as urged by European leaders, but aims to discuss a potential conclusion to the ongoing conflict.

Trump stated: “President Putin of Russia isn’t seeking a Ceasefire Agreement with Ukraine but instead aims to meet on Thursday in Turkey to discuss a potential end to the BLOODBATH.”

“Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY.”

Putin yesterday proposed holding direct peace talks with Ukraine after getting an ultimatum to agree to a temporary ceasefire.

He said he wants to hold direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey on May 15.

The dictator said: “It was not Russia that broke off negotiations in 2022. It was Kyiv.

“Nevertheless, we are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions.

“Despite everything, we offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul.

Ukraine and four European leaders pressed Russia to accept a 30-day unconditional ceasefire starting Monday or face “painful sanctions”.

The ultimatum was given after talks in Kyiv attended by President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland.

The US and other countries back the proposal, they said.

Trump suggested that a direct meeting between Kyiv and Moscow would help “determine whether or not a deal is possible.”

He added: “If [peace deal is not possible], at least the US and Europe would know where things stand.”

However, Trump suggested he is becoming skeptical of a deal between Ukraine and Russia before slamming Putin for being “too busy celebrating the Victory of World War ll”.

The president added: “I’m starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin, who’s too busy celebrating the Victory of World War ll, which could not have been won (not even close!) without the United States of America. HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!!!”

Moscow paraded nukes, tanks, drones and armed troops past dozens of world leaders in a show of strength to mark 80 years since the end of World War Two.

Putin whipped up patriotism in Russia’s biggest military display since launching its invasion – but Ukraine slammed it as a “parade of cynicism”.

A string of foreign leaders attended the annual Victory Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square – including China’s Xi Jinping and Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

If everyone wants peace why is the war in Ukraine still raging? The answer is very simple

Comment by Jerome Starkey, Defence Editor for The Sun

EVERYONE says they want peace, so why is the war still raging in Ukraine?

The short answer is simple: Peace means very different things to very different people.

They have different goals and different motives. Vladimir Putin wants total conquest.

And he wants to be remembered as a modern Tsar who restored Russia’s imperial greatness.

Ukraine wants to survive, as a sovereign independent nation.

Europe wants a chastened Russia and peace that lasts beyond six months.

Trump just wants a deal — any deal at any price — with minerals thrown in for good measure.

He wants to claim the glory and perhaps a Nobel Peace Prize for sorting out the carnage which he sees as Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s mess.

The American position is clear from the terrible deal they want Kyiv to accept.

Their so-called seven-point peace plan would freeze the war on the current front lines and force Ukraine to surrender almost all of its occupied territories — some 44,000 square miles — with almost nothing in return.

Putin took the mic to claim that “peace and justice are on our side,” and that Russia is united behind the war in Ukraine.

Putin, who has repeatedly bombed civilians in Ukraine and was accused of breaking the VE three-day ceasefire, said Kyiv failed to respond to his peace proposals.

His statement came just before a massive swarm of kamikaze drones attacked Ukraine in the morning hours of May 11.

Explosions rocked Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Donetsk and Mykolaiv in the early hours as Putin‘s drones hammered civilian targets and military sites.

It comes after Sir Keir Starmer joined leaders from France, Germany and Poland to issue a tough ultimatum to Russia as they visited war-torn Kyiv to mark the end of VE Day week.

The coalition of the willing group pushed Russia to agree to a 30-day ceasefire deal in just 24 hours.

If Moscow refuses, it will be hit with more crippling sanctions which targets their lucrative oil trade in a bid to grind down its wartime economy. Russia’s banking sector will also be targeted.

Crucially, Donald Trump backed the plan – piling massive pressure on Putin to sign up to the peace deal or face America’s wrath.

But Russian figures immediately hit back at the peace plan.

Dmitry Medvedev – the former leader of Russia – fumed online: “Shove these plans into your pangender a****!”.

Last week, Washington announced it would no longer act as the mediator to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine after Putin refused to accept a full ceasefire.

The State Department said the country is changing “the methodology of how we contribute” to the talks and will no longer “fly around the world at the drop of a hat” for meetings.