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One of the key words today is negotiation. US President Joe Biden earlier extended something of an olive branch to Russia, saying he would be willing to sit down for talks with Vladimir Putin if the Russian leader is interested in ending the war. 

The talks seem unlikely to happen any time soon, given Russia and the US have vastly different ideas on what a peace deal would involve: Moscow wants to retain the territory it has captured in Ukraine, and Washington wants to see these areas returned to Ukraine and the opening of war crimes tribunals. 

So could Russia and Ukraine sit down for talks?

Again, this seems unlikely. Officials on both sides had conducted talks early in the invasion but appeared largely fruitless, as neither side seems willing to budge. 

Questions have been raised over whether Ukraine should make concessions to Russia in order to end the war, such as by handing over parts of the eastern Donbas region. 

But Ukraine and some of its allies have taken a firm stance against this. 

Poland and the Baltic States, along with the UK, have repeatedly said there should be no pressure on Ukraine to make concessions.

They also argue it is a mistake to enter discussions with Vladimir Putin. 

Meanwhile, France and Germany have attempted to keep open dialogues with Mr Putin and appear keen for talks to start relatively quickly.

This week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signalled he would like to see Europe return to its pre-war “peace order” if Russia agrees to stop aggression against its neighbours. 

Others have argued that if Ukraine were to allow Russia to retain the territory it has occupied since 2014 – such as Crimea and the Donbas – this could make a deal more likely. 

However, Ukraine has made clear its intentions to take back the annexed territory of Crimea at some point in the future.