It was a proposal that the Kremlin could neither outright reject nor accept, intended to force it into an awkward choice, revealing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s true appetite for his brutal war of choice.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is pleased to see that Russia is finally engaging with finding an end to the war, but there must be a ceasefire before peace talks can start.

Putin invited Kyiv to take part in "serious negotiations" aimed at "moving towards a lasting, strong peace" while speaking from the Kremlin on Sunday. He did not respond to the urge from the U.K. and European leaders to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine starting on Monday.