A Ukrainian decree from 2022 ruling out negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin raises the question of who could sit at the table in potential peace talks aimed at ending their three-year war,

The Kremlin has bizarrely claimed Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not be able to join peace talks with Vladimir Putin because of a 2022 Ukrainian law. After pressure from the White House, the Ukrainian president confirmed " target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">yesterday that his country “is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible”.

The Kremlin said in remarks published on Tuesday that the next round of Russia-U.S. talks on ending the war in Ukraine is unlikely to happen before the embassies of both countries resume normal operations.

Vladimir Putin has described initial contacts with the Trump administration as “inspiring a certain degree of hope”, his most positive remarks since US-Russia talks began on ending the war in Ukraine.