Italy's Defence Minister said on Monday economic sanctions against Russia had failed and called on the West to try harder to negotiate a diplomatic solution with President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight. Become a member Support us just once In a recent interview with Il Messaggero published on May 6, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has made an appeal for the West to strive for a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Our doors for peace talks are open, they have always been, and remain so. We will always be ready to host on our Belarusian soil the negotiations, which we hope will contribute to restoring peace and ending bloodshed in Ukraine,

Russia said on Thursday it saw no point in a conference being planned by Switzerland in mid-June to discuss how to end the Ukraine conflict and to which Moscow is not currently invited. The Swiss government said on Thursday that "at this stage" Russia is not among the dozens of countries invited,

Information about Ukraine preparing for peace talks with Russia in June is not true and most likely spread by Russians, Center for Countering Disinformation of National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine reported on Telegram on April 29.

Italy's Defense Minister said on Monday economic sanctions against Russia had failed and called on the West to try harder to negotiate a diplomatic solution with President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.