Vladimir Putin is ready to halt the war with Ukraine and negotiate a ceasefire, Kremlin sources have claimed.
Three insiders stressed the Russian President had expressed frustration to a small group of advisers.
"Putin can fight for as long as it takes, but Putin is also ready for a ceasefire – to freeze the war," a source told Reuters.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov repeatedly made clear Moscow was open to dialogue to achieve its goals, stressing Russia did not want "eternal war".
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a sign docs ceremony during his meeting with King of Bahrain
REUTERS
However, the reported comments have also been labelled as planted Kremlin disinformation intent on weakening support for Kyiv.
Putin's troops have sustained heavy losses since the Russian President launched his illegal invasion in February 2022.
At time of writing, Russian troop losses stand on the verge of passing 500,000 killed, 7,635 tanks lost and 12,902 artillery systems destroyed, according to the Ukrainian Army's General Staff.
Despite recent rumours about a ceasefire, the West has so far rejected previous suggestions of halting the conflict.
Leaders across Europe joined the US in ramping up support for Kyiv until sovereignty is secured.
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An image from Russia's latest aerial attack against KyivReutersRussian troops control around 18 per cent of Ukraine and continue to bombard the northeastern region of Kharkiv.
Putin could look to take more land to put further pressure on Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate a settlement.
The 71-year-old, who secured yet another term as Russian President in March, supposedly needs another nationwide mobilisation to make further incursions into the ex-Soviet state.
The likelihood of peace remains unlikely after Zelensky signed a decree in 2022 labelling talks with Putin "impossible".
Russian military base explodes as training ground demolished by UkraineZelensky is keen for Ukraine to retake lost territory, including Crimea.
Ukraine will instead host talks in Switzerland next month in an attempt to unify public opinion on how to end the conflict.
Representatives from Moscow have not been invited to attend the event.
Responding to the imminent talks, Putin said: "We are ready for discussion. We never refused."