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.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine aimed at ending the war, an initiative welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy who said Kyiv was willing to talk but Moscow must agree to a ceasefire.

It’s a proposal that the Kremlin can neither reject nor accept, but one that may force it into an awkward choice, revealing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s true appetite for his brutal war of choice.