Vladimir Putin will not be spoken to in the language of ultimatums, a Russian radio station has quoted the Kremlin as saying.
Reports suggest German Chancellor Angela Merkel had given him until Wednesday to agree a peace plan over Ukraine or face new sanctions.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Govorit Moskva radio: "Nobody has ever talked to the president in the tone of an ultimatum - and could not do so even if they wanted to."
The leaders of Ukraine, Germany, France and Russia are preparing for a summit in the Belarussian capital of Minsk on Wednesday, aiming to end the 10-month conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has killed more than 5,000 people.
Putin hosted Merkel and the French leader Francois Hollande for talks in the Kremlin on Friday and the Wall Street Journal had reported that Merkel had given Putin until Wednesday to agree to a Franco-German peace plan.
Meanwhile, the European Union has approved new visa bans and asset freezes on more Ukrainian separatists and Russians but has suspended the new sanctions until 16 February to give peace talks a chance, according to French foreign minister Laurent Fabius.
He said: "The principle of the sanctions will be kept but their implementation will depend on the situation on the ground.
"We will assess the situation again next Monday."
Speaking ahead of the meeting of EU foreign ministers earlier, Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Flanagan says the EU is taking a two-pronged approach to the situation in Ukraine:
Angela Merkel is in Washington DC to meet US President Barack Obama, as the White House considers supplying weapons to Kiev.
Mrs Merkel has argued sending arms to Ukraine would not help the situation - comments that have been rebuked by some American politicians who have accused Berlin of turning its back on an ally
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has agreed to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in two days' time for talks aimed at ending the violence.
Both countries are expected to consider the peace plan put forward by France and Germany last week.
President Poroshenko has said he is optimistic that peace talks with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany in Minsk on Wednesday would lead to a "swift and unconditional ceasefire".
A statement issued by his administration said progress had been made during a phone call between himself, Mr Putin, Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande.
Mrs Merkel and Mr Hollande are leading the diplomatic efforts to halt the bloody conflict, which has claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people since April.
At the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Mrs Merkel said the bid to end the fighting was "uncertain but worth trying", while Mr Hollande also warned it was "one of the last chances for peace".
Originally posted at 10.36am
