Russia has been pressing a grinding offensive along the eastern front in Ukraine's Donetsk region. It has repeatedly said it is ready for a new round of talks but has not backed down from what Kyiv and its allies describe as its maximalist war aims.

Kyiv has proposed to Moscow a new round of peace talks next week, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday, hours after Russian strikes across Ukraine claimed more lives."Security Council Secretary

The day before, a source close to Russia’s negotiating team confirmed that they had received Kiev’s proposal for a meeting. Earlier, another TASS source said that “the dates are still to be agreed upon”.