"We cannot allow this ceasefire to be used by the enemy to improve its position... We need to ensure that the opposite side takes steps that are inevitable for the Russian Federation, so a ceasefire is impossible without such an agreement," Putin told reporters.
The president also emphasized that Russia has never refused to negotiate with Ukraine.
"We have always been in favor of negotiations, as you well know, we have never given up on them. The only question is that it seems unlikely to me that the final end to the conflict will be achieved through mediation alone," he noted.
Putin elaborated that it is impossible due to the fact that such a mediator is unlikely to have the authority to sign the final document.