The West is not putting pressure on Kyiv to start ceasefire negotiations with Russia, Ukraine’s foreign minister has said.

“Our allies are not asking us to start talks with Russia in order to freeze the war – neither when we meet (Western) delegations nor at closed meetings,” Dmytro Kuleba told Spanish newspaper El Pais.

“Those who suggest a frozen conflict argue that they are acting in the best interests of Ukraine and the world, but in reality they are helping [Vladimir] Putin and ignoring what today’s Russia is.”

Speculation has grown in recent months that Ukraine will be pushed towards the negotiating table as uncertainty grows among its Nato allies about how long they can support the war.

But Kyiv has repeatedly said it does not believe Russia is interested in genuine peace negotiations, a view publicly echoed by its Western allies.

The New York Times reported in December that Mr Putin was supposedly signaling behind closed doors that Russia would be open to a ceasefire along the current frontline.

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