Russia and Ukraine are facing a deep divide over their core demands in the three-year conflict, making it hard for the two countries to hold direct talks as suggested by Russian President Vladimir Putin, an expert on Eastern European studies said.

Putin on Sunday called for the resumption of direct negotiations with Ukraine without any preconditions, suggesting that both sides should meet on May 15 in Istanbul. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in response, said he will be ready to meet his Russian counterpart, but Moscow has not yet said who will be attending the talks.

Both presidents have not met in person since December 2019. Direct talks between the two countries last took place in Istanbul in March 2022, a month after Russia launched a "special military operation" into Ukraine.

"Even though Putin's proposal was constructive, direct talks will be hard to realize in the short term," Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told China Media Group.

His proposal indicated that the negotiations will be building on the consensus reached in the March 2022 talks – including the draft documents produced at the time – as a foundation, demonstrating that Russia is genuinely prepared and treating the negotiations with utmost seriousness, Sun said.

He said it is essential for the two countries to engage directly since US mediation has yet to produce tangible results, and Russia hopes the proposal will answer Ukraine's call for a 30‑day unconditional ceasefire.

However, the feasibility of direct talks remains questionable, Sun said. He noted that Ukraine insists that Russia must first implement an unconditional ceasefire before negotiations can begin, a position already backed by Kyiv's European allies.

"On the surface, the dispute between Russia and Ukraine over whether to negotiate first or declare a ceasefire first seems like a simple procedural disagreement," he said. "Yet beneath it lies a far more complex situation. A ceasefire cannot be achieved merely by one side's unilateral declaration. It requires mutual acknowledgment by both parties and demands formal, effective engagement and consultations. Although there have been previous attempts at a ceasefire, none have truly taken hold for one reason or another."

There is a clear gulf between their core demands, Sun said, adding that Russia's primary objectives include probing the conflict's root causes, insisting that NATO cease all military aid to Ukraine and securing guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO, while Ukraine remains intent on securing Western assistance, firmly upholding its territorial sovereignty and continuing to pursue NATO membership.

In the absence of a foundation of mutual trust, advancing talks or even achieving a genuine ceasefire will face extraordinarily daunting challenges and demand far greater exertion from both sides, he said.