Russian President Vladimir Putin 'received' the US proposals on 'de-escalation' in Ukraine in a phone call on Friday, the Kremlin said on Saturday, Russian news agencies reported.
The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: 'The Russian President Vladimir Putin received certain proposals from the US side regarding measures aimed at de-escalation.' Peskov was quoted by the Russian news agencies TASS and RIA Novosti. The spokesman did not provide further details on the nature of the proposals, but indicated that 'a large part' of the conversation between the two leaders focused on the question of resolving the conflict.
The diplomatic efforts by the United States to end the Russian offensive in Ukraine, which has been going on for almost five years, are currently at a standstill.
The US President announced on Friday that he had agreed to the delivery of large quantities of Russian diesel to the US and world markets, imposing sanctions on Moscow, which angered Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the decision as 'shameful' and 'weak' that evening, pointing out that it would allow Moscow to continue financing its invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine in recent months, leading to an increase in the number of casualties. At least 15 people were killed in Russian shelling on Saturday in Zaporizhzhia in the south-east of the country. Ukraine has also stepped up attacks on Russia, describing them as retaliatory, targeting objects such as oil storage facilities, transport infrastructure, commercial warehouses and data centres. Trump recently criticised Ukraine for raising the price of diesel with its attacks on Russian refineries.
