Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to continue talks with U.S. envoys on ending the war in Ukraine but rejected proposals for a mutual halt to long-range strikes and for limiting fighting to the four occupied Ukrainian regions, Bloomberg reported June 28. Putin also acknowledged that Ukrainian strikes on Russian infrastructure were creating fuel problems, though he claimed the shortages were not critical and that officials were working to restore supplies.

Ukraine has intensified strikes deep inside Russian territory and occupied Crimea. Recent polling by the Levada Center suggests Russian public support for talks may be softening, with support for peace talks falling from 64% to 60% and support for continuing military operations rising from 24% to 30%.