The United Kingdom and France on Friday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet in ceasefire talks aimed at halting his forces' invasion of Ukraine and demanded a swift response from Moscow after weeks of United States efforts to secure a truce.

The meeting between US and Russian officials was held as the Trump administration continues to press Russia and Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire.

After arrival, the Kyiv-born and US-educated envoy said that unnamed forces were trying to stir tension between Washington and MoscowMeanwhile, Russian military bloggers have claimed that hundreds of Ukrainian troops have sought shelter from Moscow’s advancing forces in a Kursk monastery.

A representative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kirill Dmitriev, expressed an unexpected position regarding security guarantees for Ukraine, during his interview with Fox News. Initially, Dmitriev stated that the administration of US President Donald Trump made significant progress in dialogue with Russia.

Elon Musk's father, Errol, has expressed his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin "as a man," saying it would be "foolish not to admire (him)" in an interview with BBC Russia published on April 3.

David Lammy has issued a stern warning to Vladimir Putin for “dragging his feet” when it comes to peace talks to end the Ukraine war. While Kyiv has already accepted Donald Trump’s proposal of a full ceasefire,

The US President's advisers are understood to be very wary of Mr Trump speaking to Vladimir Putin directly at this stage.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has stated that it has gathered evidence against Ukrainian traitors attempting to implement Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s idea of "external governance" in Ukraine.