Washington/Kyiv - Russia called the Patriot air defence system US will supply to Ukraine as "quite old" and said Moscow would find a way to counter it.

Kirby recalling Putin’s remarks that Russia wanted to end the war through a diplomatic solution said that Putin had "shown absolutely zero indication that he's willing to negotiate" an end to the war.

US announced during President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's visit to Washington that it would supply Patriot missiles to Ukraine. Russia said this would not help settle the conflict or prevent Moscow from achieving its goals.

President Vladimir Putin told reporters in Moscow that Russia wants an end to the war in Ukraine and that this would inevitably involve a diplomatic solution. He also said that Russia is showing better economic results than many other G20 nations despite mounting sanctions pressure.

"Our goal is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict, but, on the contrary, to end this war," Putin said. "We will strive for an end to this, and the sooner the better, of course."

The comments drew quick U.S. scepticism. White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters, “Everything he (Putin) is doing on the ground and in the air bespeaks a man who wants to continue to visit violence upon the Ukrainian people (and) escalate the war."

Kirby reiterated that Biden was open to talks with Putin, but only after the Russian leader "showed a seriousness about negotiations" and after consultations with Ukraine and U.S. allies.

Russia has repeatedly said it is open to negotiations, but Ukraine and its allies suspect a ploy to buy time after a series of Russian battlefield defeats and retreats that have swung the momentum of the 10-month war in favour of Ukraine.

Zelenskiy returns from his first wartime foreign trip buoyed by the support shown by President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

"We are coming back from Washington with good results. With something that will really help," Zelenskiy said on Telegram.

The Biden administration announced another $1.85 billion in military aid for Ukraine, including a Patriot system, as Zelenskiy began his visit.

But the visit leaves many questions unanswered, including how U.S. military aid could evolve, whether U.S. Congressional support will endure, and how the war will end.

U.S. officials say a single Patriot battery will not change the course of the war.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said deployment of the Patriot system in Ukraine was not conducive to a settlement.

"And this cannot prevent the Russian Federation from achieving its goals during the special military operation", he said, using Russia's term for a war in which tens of thousands of people have been killed.

Zelenskiy told the U.S. Congress that American aid to his country was an investment in democracy and the Patriot system was an important step in creating an air shield.

On the battlefront, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Facebook on Thursday that fighting in the eastern Donetsk region remained focused on Bakhmut and nearby Avdiivka.
-Reuters