Ukraine said on Wednesday that any negotiated peace settlement with Moscow would be contingent on a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops, brushing off comments by ex-German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
Schroeder, who is a friend of President Vladimir Putin, said he met the Kremlin leader in Moscow last week, that Russia wanted a "negotiated solution" to the war and that there was even the possibility of slowly reaching a cease-fire.
