Russian President Vladimir Putin has signalled he is open to bilateral talks with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time since the early stages of the war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed on Monday bilateral talks with Ukraine for the first time in years, and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv was prepared for any discussion to halt attacks on civilian targets.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's President Vladimir Putin discussed Ukraine conflict in a phone call with South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Kremlin said on Monday. Putin outlined Russia's position on the need to address the "root causes" of the conflict and ensure Russia's security interests, the Kremlin said.