The US and Hamas held their first direct talks since the Gaza ceasefire as part of efforts to advance the fragile US-brokered agreement, two Hamas sources said.

MOSCOW, April 8 (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Wednesday welcomed a two-week ceasefire agreed between the United States and Iran, and said Russia hopes that the U.S. will now have the time and scope to resume three-way peace talks on Ukraine.

The US and Iran are in discussions about holding another round of face-to-face negotiations for a longer-term ceasefire, people familiar with the matter said, after talks in Islamabad led by Vice President JD Vance failed to produce a breakthrough.

Pakistan said it expected to host a second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran to end the war, but did not say when or where the meetings would take place.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy criticised Russia for answering his offer of an Easter truce with airstrikes on Wednesday but he praised as “positive” fresh talks with U.S. mediators aimed at resolving the four-year conflict.

Over a month since the war between the US-Israel and Iran began, with an attack on Tehran on February 28, Israel has revealed what the war has cost the country.According to a preliminary estimate, Israel's Finance Ministry said that the war

Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz are main sticking points. Meanwhile, Israel and Lebanon will hold their first direct talks in 40 years. Follow for live news updates.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Iran’s leaders to “choose wisely” and said a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports would continue “as long as it takes.”

Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have said their countries will hold a 32-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend.