At the meeting, Putin said Russia would make every effort to end the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible.

However, according to the Russian President, the Ukrainian side refused talks.

“I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine, your concerns that you constantly express. We will do our best to stop this as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the opposing side – the leadership of Ukraine – announced their refusal of the negotiation process, stated that they want to achieve their goals by military means, as they say, on the battlefield. We will keep you informed of what is happening there,” Putin said.

Earlier, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that so far no negotiations with the Russian Federation on ending the war are possible.

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in the meantime, noted that Russia does not refuse peace talks with Ukraine.