Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday dismissed Russia’s ceasefire proposal as “an ultimatum” and renewed his call for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock over the war, which has dragged on for nearly 3½ years.
Putin, however, showed no willingness to meet with Zelenskyy, expressing anger Wednesday about what he said were Ukraine's recent “terrorist acts” on Russian rail lines in the Kursk and Bryansk regions on the countries' border.
