Putin pledges ceasefire in Ukraine if Kyiv withdraws troops and drops Nato bid

Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined the proposal in Moscow (AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised to “immediately” order a ceasefire in Ukraine and begin negotiations if Kyiv starts to withdraw troops from the four occupied Ukrainian regions and renounces plans to join Nato.

Such a deal appears a non-starter for Kyiv, which wants to join the military alliance and has demanded that Russia withdraw its troops from all of its territory.