Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia is open to a Slovakian proposal to host peace talks with Ukraine to end a conflict he said Russia was determined to bring to a conclusion.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský has stated that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has consistently rejected all peace proposals and continues to launch new strikes on Ukraine's regions every day.

Slovakia could host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in the future after receiving approval from Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader who this week hosted Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico in Moscow,

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia is open to Slovakia hosting potential peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Putin told journalists north of St Petersburg that Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico made the proposal during his visit to Moscow last Sunday,

Vladimir Putin has said he is "open to peace talks" with Ukraine in Slovakia "if it comes to that". The Russian president said that Slovakia "would be happy to provide their own country as a platform for negotiations". He added: "We are not opposed, if it comes to that. Why not? Since Slovakia takes such a neutral position".

Russian ruler Vladimir Putin signed a series of laws that toughened penalties for armed rebellion and crimes against military service and approved a new strategy to counter extremism, which lists the elimination of threats emanating from Ukraine as one of its main tasks.