Macron slams Russia's offer of talks 'unacceptable' for Kiev France's #Macron believes that his Russian counterpart Vladimir #Putin's proposal to start negotiations with the Ukrainian side without preconditions is "insufficient" and "unacceptable" for #Kiev. "This is a first step, but it is not enough. Negotiations, by definition, cannot take place before an unconditional ceasefire," Le Figaro quoted the French leader as saying. Agence France-Presse, in turn, quoted Macron as saying that "it is unacceptable for the Ukrainians because they cannot hold talks while they are being shelled." The Russian head of state, speaking to reporters in the Kremlin in the early morning hours May 11, proposed to the Kiev authorities to resume without preconditions the direct talks they had interrupted at the end of 2022. The dialogue is proposed to begin on May 15 in Istanbul. Putin also noted that Russia had previously repeatedly declared ceasefires that were steadily violated by the Kiev regime, including the latest three-day truce imposed during the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.