The US is privately encouraging Ukraine to signal an openness to negotiate with Russia, the Washington Post reported, as the state department said Moscow was escalating the war and did not seriously wish to engage in peace talks.

The newspaper cited unnamed sources as saying the request by American officials was not aimed at pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table, but a calculated attempt to ensure Kyiv maintains the support of other nations.

US and Ukrainian officials acknowledged that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s ban on talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin had generated concern in parts of Europe, Africa and Latin America, where the war’s effects on costs of food and fuel are felt most sharply, the Post said.

“Ukraine fatigue is a real thing for some of our partners,” it quoted an unnamed US official as saying.

Zelensky signed a decree on October 4 formally declaring the prospect of any Ukrainian talks with Putin “impossible” but leaving the door open to talks with Russia.

The White House National Security Council had no immediate comment on the report.

A state department spokesperson responded: “We’ve said it before and will say it again: Actions speak louder than words. If Russia is ready for negotiation, it should stop its bombs and missiles and withdraw its forces from Ukraine.

“The Kremlin continues to escalate this war. The Kremlin has demonstrated its unwillingness to seriously engage in negotiations since even before it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.”

On Sunday Zelensky said he had spoken to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen about macro-financial aid for Ukraine and more sanctions on Iran. “Noted the importance of continuing the grain initiative for world food security. Discussed increasing sanctions and opposing actions of Iran, which supports aggression,” he tweeted.