Russia-Ukraine war: Kremlin says Putin willing to discuss halting attacks on civilian infrastructure as Ukraine says six people killed in past day – as it happened

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez has said his government will raise defense spending by €10.5bn ($12bn; £9bn) to reach Nato’s 2% of GDP target.

The spending would go toward telecommunications, cybersecurity and buying military equipment, he said, as well as raising salaries and adding troops to the armed forces.

Spain, which spent the least of all Nato members last year on defence as a share of GDP, had previously committed to reaching the 2% target by 2029.

But it has come under pressure for not spending enough compared to other Nato members (such as Poland) at a time when Russia continues to attack Ukraine and the Trump administration pulls its commitment to propping up European security.

The Kremlin says it is open to direct talks with Ukraine but has declined to back Kyiv’s proposal to extend the Easter ceasefire.

Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson told reporters in Moscow on Tuesday that there were no concrete plans for negotiations on halting strikes against civilian targets, but that the Russian president was willing to discuss this directly with Ukraine if Kyiv removed “certain obstacles”.

While rare, it is not unprecedented for Putin to suggest direct talks with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Russia has frequently claimed it was open to talks with Ukraine but that Kyiv made that legally impossible under a 2022 decree barring negotiations with Putin. The Russian leader has previously suggested Ukraine must hold elections and choose a new president before any such talks could take place.

There have been no official direct talks between the two sides since the early weeks after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

British prime minister Keir Starmer praised the “resilience” of Ukrainians as he addressed personnel taking part in training being provided by British personnel and other allies to Ukrainian troops.

Addressing Ukrainians taking part in the programme to train troops, the prime minister thanked them for attending and said it is “incredible to see the resilience and inspiration that you have” as they head to the Russian frontline.

He said that some attending were there for the second “or even the third time” and that it was “humbling” to see “so many people have come from different backgrounds, civilian backgrounds, doing all sorts of other jobs, and now heading either to the frontline for the first time or heading back to the frontline”.

Starmer added: “I don’t think it could come at a more important point.

“I think it’s incredible that all of the predictions at the beginning of this conflict were that the aggressor Russia would succeed very quickly, and they didn’t.

“Because of the resilience of the Ukrainians, because as you fought back and forth for your country and fought for all of us in fighting for your country.”

In a televised meeting with his commander-in-chief on Saturday, Vladimir Putin said a temporary Easter ceasefire would last from 6pm Moscow time (4pm BST) on Saturday until midnight (10pm BST) on Sunday.

Putin claimed he had ordered his forces to “stop all military activity” along the frontline during this window for “humanitarian reasons”.

But both Kyiv and Moscow subsequently accused each other of violating the ceasefire, with drone strikes and shelling.

Washington said it would welcome an extension of the truce, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would pause strikes for 30 days. Putin, however, did not give orders to extend the 30 hour ceasefire – which never was -nbeyond Sunday.

Here is some more detail and context on Vladimir Putin saying he is open to the possibility of bilateral talks with Ukraine for the first time in years.

As we mentioned in the opening post, the Russian president told state TV yesterday that Moscow has a “positive attitude towards any peace initiatives”, adding he hopes Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian officials “feel the same way”.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin’s comments showed an openness to engage in direct talks with Kyiv about not striking civilian targets, something Zelenskyy proposed over the weekend.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine was “ready for any conversation”, suggesting he is willing to engage in ceasefire talks with Russia on condition it doesn’t cross any of his red lines and protects civilians from attacks.

There have been no direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Unlike former US president Joe Biden, Donald Trump – and his team – have directly engaged in talks with Russia.

Last Friday, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, warned that the US could walk away from its mediating role within “days” if there were no signs of progress in talks. Trump later backed up this sentiment, but did not provide a timeline.

Russian forces have retaken the St. Nicholas Belogorsky monastery in the village of Gornal in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops had been holed up, Russian state news agency Tass reported, citing a security source.

A Russian military Telegram channel said Ukraine had deployed troops, artillery and drone launchers at the historic site, which it said Russia had retaken after 10 days of fierce fighting. We have not been able to independently verify these claims.

Russia has been trying to eject Ukrainian forces from Kursk since last August after Ukraine launched a daring incursion that Volodymyr Zelenskyy hoped would give him a bargaining chip in any future talks to end the war.

However, in recent weeks Russia has retaken a swath of territory inside Kursk and has begun to push ahead into Ukraine’s neighbouring Sumy region.

As we mentioned in the opening post, Ukraine is due to participate in talks with US and European countries in London on Wednesday.

British prime minister Keir Starmer has told Volodymyr Zelenskyy he supports Kyiv’s calls for a full ceasefire and said the UK and France, backed by a “coalition of the willing”, have proposed providing a “reassurance” force for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.

The US, however, has so far held off its support as it pulls back from its long role as a bulwark of European security.

In a post on X, Zelenskyy said:

Already this Wednesday, our representatives will be working in London.

Ukraine, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States - we are ready to move forward as constructively as possible, just as we have done before, to achieve an unconditional ceasefire, followed by the establishment of a real and lasting peace.

Russia has maintained its maximalist demands: that Ukraine cede all the land Putin claims to have annexed and accept permanent neutrality. Ukraine says that would amount to surrender and leave it undefended if Moscow attacks again. The opposing demands have frustrated Washington, with US President Donald Trump wanting to bring a quick end to the war, which he has described as a huge drain on American resources.