The Kremlin said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was serious about trying to find peace at talks he has proposed in Turkey but his spokesman said he could say no more about the talks after Ukraine demanded the Kremlin chief attend.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Belarus on February 28, 2022, four days after Russia's full-scale invasion. They later held meetings by video link before meeting again in person in Istanbul on March 29. After that they exchanged multiple drafts until mid-April, before the talks broke down.

The United States and European governments are making a concerted push to stop the fighting, which has killed more than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians.