Putin says Russia ready to negotiate over Ukraine, Kyiv voices doubts

An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Putin needed to return to reality and acknowledge it was Russia which did not want talks. "Russia single-handedly attacked Ukraine and is killing citizens," the adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, tweeted. And we have no other choice but to protect our citizens," Putin said. Asked if the geopolitical conflict with the West was approaching a dangerous level, Putin said: "I don't think it's so dangerous." Kyiv and the West say Putin has no justification for what they cast as an imperial-style war of occupation.