Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed on Monday bilateral talks with Ukraine for the first time in years, and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv was prepared for any discussion to halt attacks on civilian targets.

Axar.az informs, citing Reuters, Putin and Zelenskiy face pressure from the United States, which has threatened to walk away from its peace efforts unless some progress is achieved.

Putin, speaking to a Russian state TV reporter, said fighting had resumed after the Easter ceasefire, which he announced unilaterally on Saturday. And Moscow, he said, was open to any peace initiatives and expected the same from Kyiv.

"We have always talked about this, that we have a positive attitude towards any peace initiatives. We hope that representatives of the Kyiv regime will feel the same way," Putin told state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted later by Interfax news agency, told reporters: "When the president said that it was possible to discuss the issue of not striking civilian targets, including bilaterally, the president had in mind negotiations and discussions with the Ukrainian side."

"President Putin and the Russian side remain open to seeking a peaceful settlement. We are continuing to work with the American side and, of course, we hope that this work will yield results," Peskov told reporters.