It was a proposal that the Kremlin could neither outright reject nor accept, intended to force it into an awkward choice, revealing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s true appetite for his brutal war of choice.

Ukraine’s president is pushing for an immediate truce. European leaders have said they will would impose new sanctions on Moscow if Russia’s president does not accept.

Putin invited Kyiv to take part in "serious negotiations" aimed at "moving towards a lasting, strong peace" while speaking from the Kremlin on Sunday. He did not respond to the urge from the U.K. and European leaders to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine starting on Monday.