Russia's President Vladimir Putin speaks with journalists during a meeting in Moscow on Monday —Reuters MOSCOW, Apr 22 (Reuters): Russian President Vladimir Putin, under pressure from Washington to show willingness to make peace in Ukraine, proposed on Monday bilateral talks with Kyiv for the first time in years, and said he was open to more ceasefires after a one-day Easter truce.
Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Kyiv was sending a delegation to London to meet with the United States and other Western countries on Wednesday.
The London talks are a follow-up to a meeting in Paris last week in which the US and European states discussed ways to end the more than three-year-old war.
Putin, speaking to a Russian state TV reporter, said fighting had resumed after his surprise 30-hour Easter ceasefire, which he announced unilaterally on Saturday. Both countries accused the other of violating Putin's truce, which Kyiv had largely dismissed from the outset as a stunt.
Washington said it would welcome an extension of the truce. Zelensky, who has called for it to be extended to a 30-day ceasefire on civilian targets, said continued Russian attacks during Sunday's ceasefire showed Moscow was intent on prolonging the war.
In his comments, Putin said Moscow was open to any peace initiatives and expected the same from Kyiv.
"When the president said that it was possible to discuss the issue of not striking civilian targets, including bilaterally, the president had in mind negotiations and discussions with the Ukrainian side," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to Interfax news agency.
Zelensky made no reference to Putin's remarks on bilateral talks in his comments on X announcing the Ukrainian delegation for the London talks.
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