Kyiv, Ukraine - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin must be pushed to halt his three-year invasion, as talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia on a partial ceasefire got underway.

"No matter what we talk about with our partners, we need to push Putin to give a real order to stop the strikes: the one who brought this war must take it away," Zelensky said in an evening address posted on social media.

A Ukrainian delegation was meeting with US officials in Riyadh late on Sunday with Washington saying the talks would focus on a possible ceasefire in the Black Sea.

Russian officials were due to meet Monday with the Americans for a separate round of negotiations.

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Putin has rejected a joint US-Ukrainian offer of a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire, instead backing a halt only to aerial strikes against energy facilities.

Both sides have launched multiple massive aerial attacks this week ahead of the talks.

"It is clear to absolutely everyone in the world that Russia is the only one who is dragging this war out," Zelensky said.

"Since 11 March, there has been a proposal for an unconditional ceasefire, and such attacks would have stopped by now. But it is Russia that continues all this. And every night, every day, it delivers the most cynical strikes possible," he added.

"Without pressure on Russia, they will continue to despise real diplomacy in Moscow and continue to destroy lives," he said.