and that he hoped Kyiv would “feel the same way”. However, his spokesman stressed on Tuesday that there are no concrete plans currently for talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Moscow and Kyiv have held no bilateral talks since the immediate aftermath of Russia’s February 2022 invasion. However, the United States has been raising the pressure on them to agree to a ceasefire. Putin’s comments, which a spokesman said on Monday meant that he was open to direct talks, followed the expiry of a 30-hour Easter truce, which each side accused the other of violating. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not respond directly to Putin’s words, but he signalled in a nightly video address that Ukraine was “ready for any conversation” about a ceasefire that would stop attacks on civilians.

On Sunday, Zelenskyy had proposed a follow-up to the Easter truce that would “cease any strikes using long-range drones and missiles on civilian infrastructure for a period of at least 30 days”. Putin said on Monday that Russia would “analyse everything and take the corresponding decisions” but questioned how it would work, as he accused Ukraine of using civilian buildings such as restaurants and universities for military purposes.

Zelenskyy pressed Putin further on Monday, saying Ukraine stood by its offer at the very least, not to strike civilian infrastructure and that he expected a “clear answer” from Moscow. The hint of the possibility of direct talks comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to walk away from efforts to broker a ceasefire unless progress is made. At the same time, the US leader continued on Monday to express hope that a deal is close and could even be reached this week. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov appeared to be seeking to backpedal on Tuesday as he clarified that no bilateral talks are currently planned and told reporters that, while Russia is ready to consider Zelenskyy’s proposal, the issue is complex. (Al Jazeera)