Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for talks with Russia next week to push forward ceasefire talks amid growing US pressure on Moscow to reach a deal.

Ukraine’s Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, proposed the a meeting with the Russian side for next week, Zelensky said during his daily address on Saturday.

“The dynamics of the negotiations must improve. We need to do everything possible to achieve a ceasefire. The Russian side must stop avoiding decisions regarding prisoner exchanges, the return of children, and the cessation of killings,” Zelensky said.

“A meeting at the leadership level is essential to genuinely secure peace. Ukraine is ready for such a meeting,” he added.

Russian state media outlet TASS reported that a source close to Russia’s negotiating team confirmed that they had received Kyiv’s proposal for a meeting.