Quim Torra, the president of Spain's Catalonia region, has visited nine fellow pro-independence leaders detained in jail before their trial begins in Madrid on Tuesday.

They face a series of charges related to the illegal independence referendum in October 2017, as well as declaring independence after a vote in the regional parliament in Barcelona.

On Saturday Spain’s deputy prime minister announced that talks with Catalan separatist parties wouldn't continue, and there'd be no more proposals from his government.

Torra however wants to continue talking.

"We've asked the president of the government for courage and bravery to continue with this dialogue and with that determination to resolve the political conflict that exists in Catalonia," he said.

The breakdown in talks is a sign of failure for prime minister Pedro Sanchez who came to power last year promising to improve relations with the Catalan regional government.