Need ceasefire first, talks only later, says Zelenskyy

This comes after Putin rejected ceasefire, proposed talks in Istanbul

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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, said it was a "positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war" 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," in a reference to his proposal to start a 30-day unconditional truce on Monday.