Ukraine poured scorn on Vladimir Putin’s proposal for so-called “humanitarian corridors” out of frontline cities on Monday, describing it as a cynical offer to evacuate civilians to Russia even as Moscow’s armed forces continued to bombard urban areas.

Several proposals for a ceasefire have failed to take hold since the weekend, highlighting the seemingly irreconcilable distance between Ukraine and Russia’s positions as they entered a fourth round of talks in Belarus on Monday.

Through 12 days of war, Russian forces have used heavy weapons to target civilian infrastructure in crowded cities, hitting schools, hospitals and residential buildings. Foreign defence analysts said that in offering to evacuate Ukrainian cities, Russia could be exploiting humanitarian issues to distract diplomatic partners as it has done in previous conflicts.