Putin’s proposal came after leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Moscow if it does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives for meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk,

Ukraine’s allies have rejected Vladimir Putin’s offer to hold direct talks with Ukrainian officials, saying the Russian president must first accept the US-backed ceasefire proposal.

The new pope, speaking to thousands in St. Peter’s Square, echoed themes that Francis, his predecessor, regularly addressed.

Pope Leo XIV stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to thunderous applause and an electric atmosphere, to deliver his first Sunday blessing and an address calling for peace in Ukraine and Gaza.

Pope Leo XIV appealed to the world's major powers for "no more war", in his first Sunday message to crowds in St. Peter's Square since his election as pontiff. The new pope, elected on May 8, called for an "authentic and lasting peace" in Ukraine and a ceasefire in Gaza and release of all Israeli hostages.