New Delhi, June 9 -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country is ready to agree to a ceasefire - but only if Russian President Vladimir Putin halts aggression too. Zelensky accused Putin of aiming for the "total defeat" of Ukraine and urged the US to step up efforts to broker peace.

Speaking to ABC News, Zelensky expressed Ukraine's willingness to pause hostilities.

"We are ready to lay down our arms without conditions - if Russia will, too," Zelensky said in the interview.

He said Ukraine would even forgo security guarantees from the US, which it has long demanded in lieu of NATO membership, in exchange for a 30-day cessation of hostilities.

Zelensky strongly criticised the Russian leader's intentions, comparing the in...