Volodymyr Zelensky accused Donald Trump of “buying time” to continue the war in Ukraine.
“If Russia continues to present unrealistic conditions and undermine progress, severe outcomes must be achieved,” the Ukrainian president wrote on social media, adding that Kiev is ready for negotiations.
Following separate calls between Zelensky and Putin on Monday, Trump said ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine would begin “quickly.”
Putin said he is ready to tackle a “memorandum on the possibility of a future peace agreement,” but he did not address the call for a 30-day hiatus in the battle.
On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakhalova said it was up to Kiev to “take a decision” and respond to the proposed memorandum of peace.
However, the Kremlin downplayed the proposal that negotiations were on the verge of close. The Russian state news agency said spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “there is no deadline and there is nothing.”
Meanwhile, Zelensky has launched a fresh diplomacy and spoke to Western allies to enhance support.
Following a call with the Finnish president, Zelensky wrote on social media that Ukraine is working with partners to write Moscow “force Russians to change their behavior.”
It came when the European Union and the UK announced they had adopted new sanctions against Russia.
The EU said it had blacklisted nearly 200 oil tankers in the Russian “shadow fleet” and warned about a “severe response” if Moscow did not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
The UK has sanctioned 18 more tankers as part of a package targeting Russian military suppliers, energy exports and financial institutions.
It followed a record-breaking drone attack in Ukraine over the weekend, with Kiev officials describing it as the biggest since the start of a full-scale invasion.
On Monday, Trump announced he would not take part in new sanctions on Russia, telling reporters that it could hinder recent progress.
Ukraine reported 177 clashes and came as fierce battles continued along the frontline, claiming more than 1,000 Russian casualties in 24 hours.
Advances of EU ministers’ meeting on Tuesday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Russia’s continued attacks were “more eloquent than the lip service we’ve heard for a long time.”
“Putin has obviously been playing around for a while. Unfortunately, I have to say that he is not really interested in peace,” he said.
So far, Putin has rejected US-Ukraine’s joint proposal for a 30-day ceasefire and rejected Zelensky’s invitation last week for talks in Istanbul. Trump had offered to attend consultations if Putin was there, but the Russian leader declined.
The Kremlin previously announced a temporary ceasefire, including 8-11 May, which coincides with Russia’s World War II victory celebrations. Kyiv refused to participate, citing distrust, seeking an immediate, sustained halt of hostility.
A similar 30-hour truce in Easter saw a brief calm in the battle, but both sides accused each other of hundreds of violations.
Russia and Ukraine have been at war since Moscow began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
