Putin calls Western leaders ‘morons’ over Ukraine ceasefire talks ultimatum

This is the moment Vladimir Putin called Western leaders ‘morons’ after he was threatened with new sanctions.

Key European leaders warned that Russia will face the sanctions if Putin fails to agree to a 30-day ceasefire and attend peace talks in Turkey on Thursday.

Volodymyr Zelensky vowed that he would be waiting in Istanbul for Putin and Donald Trump said he would potentially fly out if the Russian President decided to attend.

Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk all met with Zelensky in Kyiv on Saturday to call for the ceasefire.

Speaking today, Putin said of the threat of new sanctions: ‘You’d think they wouldn’t do this or that, since it clearly hurts them – but nope, they still do it. Morons.’

Audience members can then be heard chuckling before Putin added: ‘Oh, I am sorry… like, the world’s top economies are tipping into recession just to spite us.’

There’s no sign yet that Putin is willing to attend the talks, despite Trump urging the Russian President and Volodymyr Zelensky to meet last week.

Trump wrote: ‘At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the US will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly!

‘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!!!’

Hopes for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war were growing strong last week after both sides appeared ready for peace talks.

But while Zelensky said he is ready for a face-to-face negotiation with Putin, the Russian leader’s right hand man Dmitry Medvedev told the West to ‘shove these peace plans’.

Zelensky said: ‘I am ready for the meeting. I met this person in 2019, in December.

‘I absolutely understand what to talk about – the truth is on our side.

‘I think we need to take the first step, for the sake of the people.

‘And the whole world is already supporting this, first of all, for the sake of the Ukrainians. Everyone wants the war to end.

‘We want to agree on the beginning of the end of the war. At least the beginning.’

The last ceasefire attempt was a one-sided declaration of a pause by Putin.

This coincided with the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany but Ukraine said Russian forces repeatedly violated their own three-day ceasefire.

But Russia disagreed with this and said that Ukraine had violated it 14,000 times.

Since then, there have been drone attacks against by Russia, which launched 108 attack drones and simulator drones from six different directions, Ukraine’s air force said.

Before this in March, the US proposed an immediate, limited 30-day truce which was accepted by Ukraine, but the Kremlin held out for terms more to its liking.

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