Putin Unwilling to Compromise on Ukraine - Bloomberg

Undisclosed Western security officials believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin is making extreme demands in the Ukraine conflict, knowing Kyiv or European leaders will not accept them, Orda reports, citing Bloomberg.

This suggests that Russia may not be earnestly seeking a negotiated settlement.

The Kremlin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, dismissed the claims:

Russia is open for peace efforts and prefers to reach our goals through peaceful and diplomatic means,he told Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has suggested that Ukraine might need to cede some territory to reach a peace deal, acknowledging that a total Ukrainian victory is unlikely in the short term. 

At the same time, high-level diplomatic talks are taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, involving U.S. and Ukrainian officials.