By Ben Aris in Berlin Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy have given up on ceasefire talks, calling them pointless as both sides increase the frequency and ferocity of their mutual missile strikes on each other's territory in recent weeks.

Since last sitting down with Ukraine to talk peace, Russia has launched four of its five largest drone attacks against the country, killed more than 340 of its civilians and continued to peddle its false narrative about the unprovoked war it has been waging for more than a decade.

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