Ceasefire with Ukraine must come before peace talks, says Zelenskyy

Putin Proposes Direct Peace Talks With Ukraine

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KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday welcomed Russia's offer for direct peace talks, but insisted there must be a full, temporary ceasefire in place before negotiations can start.

Zelenskyy, writing on X, called Russian President Vladimir Putin's counter-offer to start talks without a ceasefire a "positive sign," and said that "the entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time."

He added, however, that "the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire."

Meanwhile, Russia resumed mass drone attacks in Ukraine early on Sunday, after its self-declared 3-day pause expired.