Ceasefire crucial for serious negotiations says foreign minister

Italian Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Monday that it is up to Russian President Vladimir Putin to decide whether there will be peace in Ukraine after Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to meet him in Istanbul on Thursday for peace talks.
“I hope Moscow acknowledges Zelensky’s willingness (to open direct negotiations) and the commitment of all of us to achieve peace,” Tajani said on the sidelines of a meeting of the Weimer+ alliance and Kyiv in London.
“But today all of the responsibility is in Putin’s hands.
“Peace depends solely on the will of the Russian Federation”.
Tajani said the signals were “not reassuring” after attacks overnight, adding that a ceasefire remains a crucial condition for “serious negotiations”.