Vladimir Putin has claimed he is willing to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky but only for a “final phase” of talks.
He told international news outlets in St Petersburg that he would only join the talks to finally “put an end” to the conflict.
It is not the first time – nor will it be the last – that Putin has supposedly signalled a desire to end the war. Ukraine and its western backers say he is simply playing for time, appealing to Donald Trump while continuing to relentlessly bomb Ukraine in the meantime.
Dozens of civilians have been killed in Ukraine in recent weeks following a surge in Russian aerial attacks.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said this morning it had been 100 days of Russia “manipulating … opportunities to end the war”, referencing Kyiv’s acceptance of a US-proposed 30-day ceasefire back in March and Moscow’s refusal to agree to it.
“100 days of Russian manipulations and missed opportunities to end the war. 100 days of Russia escalating terror against Ukraine rather than ending it,” Mr Sybiha wrote on X.
