Moscow's stance is backed by the majority of Latin American and Caribbean nations, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro believes

Venezuela welcomes the proposal made by Russian President Vladimir Putin to resume direct peace talks with Ukraine, President Nicolas Maduro has said.

Maduro made the remarks on Sunday during a meeting with St. Petersburg Governor Aleksandr Beglov. The Venezuelan president spoke highly of the speech delivered by Putin earlier in the day in which he put forward the proposal to resume talks with Kiev on May 15 in Istanbul, Trkiye.

"I would like to express the joy of our government and the people of Venezuela regarding this announcement. This was a speech of a man who defends the interests of his homeland, yet at the same time has a very clear understanding of what the international environment must be to achieve peace on a global scale," Maduro said.

The sentiment is shared by the "majority of the governments and people of Latin America and the Caribbean," Maduro added, expressing confidence that they support "President Putin's efforts to resume negotiations and return to a path that should have never been abandoned - the path of direct dialogue and mutual understanding between Russia and Ukraine without any external interference."

Early on Sunday, Putin proposed that direct peace negotiations with Kiev be resumed without any preconditions. The president made the statement while addressing the media at the conclusion of celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, during which Moscow hosted numerous foreign dignitaries and leaders.

"We propose that the Kiev authorities resume the negotiations they interrupted in 2022 - to resume direct negotiations, and I emphasize, without any preconditions. We propose to start without delay next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul," Putin said. The settlement process must begin with talks, which could ultimately lead to "some kind of new truce and a new ceasefire," Putin added.

"We are set on serious negotiations with Ukraine. Their aim is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and to achieve a long-term lasting peace for a historical perspective," the president stressed. 

The proposal received a cold reaction from Kiev and its Western backers, who insisted that any talks must be preceded by a 30-day truce. The Russian proposal comes after leaders from France, Germany, Poland, the UK, and the European Commission said they sought a "full and unconditional" 30-day ceasefire, claiming that this would "create room for diplomacy," while noting that the US supports such an initiative. 

US President Donald Trump, however, urged Kiev to "immediately" accept the Russian proposal. Shortly after Trump's statement, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky claimed he was ready to meet Putin in person in Istanbul, yet once again reiterated the demand that a truce be established beforehand.