Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed holding “direct talks” with Kyiv, a move welcomed by his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky although he stressed that Moscow must agree to a ceasefire first.

Ukraine’s president is pushing for an immediate truce. European leaders have said they will would impose new sanctions on Moscow if Russia’s president does not accept.

Major European powers threw their weight behind an unconditional 30-day Ukraine ceasefire on Saturday, with the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump, and threatened President Vladimir Putin with "massive" new sanctions if he did not accept within days.