She made the remarks during the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Albania. Von der Leyen noted that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin initially called for a three-day truce on May 9 but then failed to honor his call and later rejected a proposal for a 30‑day ceasefire.

The first high-level talks between Russia and Ukraine since the early months of Moscow's 2022 invasion showed they are far from agreement on steps needed for a ceasefire, even though they promised a major swap of prisoners of war.

Peace in Ukraine remains as elusive as when Russian tanks first streamed across its borders more than three years ago. This week’s talks in Istanbul—talks that Vladimir Putin himself proposed—show he isn’t yet ready to do a deal.