That helps explain why President Donald Trump’s promise to end the war between Russia and Ukraine (within a day, as he used to say) is proving difficult. His officials say they have achieved “epic” results.

Moscow’s demands are slowing the process and giving it the advantage in talks with a deal-hungry United States, experts said.

Kyiv and Moscow agreed in principle on Wednesday to a limited ceasefire but American negotiators are working to hammer out the details.

Ukraine’s European allies say now is not the time for lifting sanctions on Russia, after Moscow said it would only agree to a US-brokered deal on ending fighting in the Black Sea if some sanctions were eased.

The Trump administration has restarted diplomatic conversations with Russia regarding the U.S.'s interest in seeing an end to their war in Ukraine.

Western sanctions on Russia need to be increased, not weakened, in order to bring it to the negotiating table, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The prime minister accused Vladimir Putin of "playing games and playing for time" after the Russian president demanded sanctions were lifted before a US-brokered maritime ceasefire is enacted.