Asked at the White House whether the two leaders had agreed to such a summit, the US president said there was a “very good prospect”, but did not give further details.

The Kremlin earlier issued a vague statement about the talks between Putin and Steve Witkoff, with a foreign policy aide saying the two sides had exchanged “signals” as part of “constructive” talks in Moscow.

The meeting came days before Trump’s deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine, or face new sanctions.

Trump’s comments in the Oval Office on Wednesday come after he posted on his Truth Social platform that he had briefed some of America’s European allies following the talks.

“Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come,” Trump said.

The White House said that Russia had expressed a desire to meet the US president and that he was “open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelensky”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meanwhile said he had spoken to Trump about Witkoff’s visit, with European leaders also on the call.

Zelensky has been warning that Russia would only make serious moves towards peace if it began to run out of money.

Trump has said Russia could face hefty sanctions or see secondary sanctions imposed against all those who trade with it if it doesn’t take steps to end the war.

Wednesday’s discussions between Putin and Witkoff appeared cordial despite Trump’s mounting irritation with the lack of progress in negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.

Shortly after Witkoff’s departure from Moscow, the White House said Trump had signed an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on India for buying Russian oil. The tariff would come into force on 27 August.

The US president has accused India of not caring “how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine”.

Expectations are muted for a settlement by Friday, and Russia has continued its large-scale air attacks on Ukraine despite Trump’s threats of sanctions.

Before taking office in January, Trump said he would be able to end the war between Russia and Ukraine in a day. The conflict has raged on, and his rhetoric towards Moscow has since hardened.

“We thought we had [the war] settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever,” he said last month.

Three rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul have failed to bring the war closer to an end, three-and-a-half years after Moscow launched its full-invasion.

Moscow’s military and political preconditions for peace remain unacceptable to Kyiv and to its Western partners. The Kremlin has also repeatedly turned down Kyiv’s requests for a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.

Meanwhile, the US administration approved $200m (£150m) of additional military sales to Ukraine on Tuesday following a phone call between Zelensky and Trump, in which the two leaders also discussed defence co-operation and drone production.

Ukraine has been using drones to hit Russia’s refineries and energy facilities, while Moscow has focused its air attacks on Ukraine’s cities.

The Kyiv City Military Administration said the toll of an attack on the city last week rose to 32 after a man died of his injuries. The strike was one of the deadliest on Kyiv since the start of the invasion.

Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday reported that a Russian attack on a holiday camp in the central region of Zaporizhzhia left two dead and 12 wounded.

“There’s no military sense in this attack. It’s just cruelty to scare people,” Zelensky said.

Trump also described the meeting as “highly productive” in a post on his Truth Social platform.

The Kremlin earlier issued a vague statement about the talks, with foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov saying the two sides had exchanged “signals” as part of “constructive” talks in Moscow.

He also said Russia and the US had discussed the possibility of strategic cooperation – but refused to share more until Witkoff had briefed the US president.

The meeting came days before Trump’s deadline to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Trump said he had briefed some of America’s European allies following the talks.

“Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come,” he said.

The discussions between Putin and Witkoff appeared cordial despite Trump’s mounting irritation with the lack of progress in negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.

Images shared by Russian outlets showed Putin and Witkoff – who have met several times before – smiling and shaking hands in a gilded hall at the Kremlin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later said he had spoken to Trump about Witkoff’s visit, with European leaders also on the call. “The war must end,” he said.

Trump has said Russia could face hefty sanctions or see secondary sanctions imposed against all those who trade with it if it doesn’t take steps to end the war.

Shortly after Witkoff’s departure from Moscow, the White House said Trump had signed an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on India for buying Russian oil. The tariff would come into force on 27 August.

Earlier this week, the US president accused India of not caring “how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine”.

Before Wednesday’s talks, Zelensky warned that Russia would only make serious moves towards peace if it began to run out of money.

Expectations are muted for a settlement by Friday, and Russia has continued its large-scale air attacks on Ukraine despite Trump’s threats of sanctions.

Before taking office in January, Trump claimed he would be able to end the war between Russia and Ukraine in a day. He failed, and his rhetoric towards Russia has since hardened.

“We thought we had [the war] settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever,” he said last month.

Three rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul have failed to bring the war closer to and end, three-and-a-half years after Moscow launched its full-invasion.

Moscow’s military and political preconditions for peace remain unacceptable to Kyiv and to its Western partners. The Kremlin has also repeatedly turned down Kyiv’s requests for a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.

Meanwhile, the US administration approved $200m (£150m) of additional military sales to Ukraine on Tuesday following a phone call between Zelensky and Trump, in which the two leaders also discussed defence cooperation and drone production.

Ukraine has been using drones to hit Russia’s refineries and energy facilities, while Moscow has focused its air attacks on Ukraine’s cities.

The Kyiv City Military Administration said the toll of an attack on the city last week rose to 32 after a man died of his injuries. The strike was the deadliest on Kyiv since the start of the invasion.

Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday reported that a Russian attack on a holiday camp in the central region of Zaporizhzhia left two dead and 12 wounded.

“There’s no military sense in this attack. It’s just cruelty to scare people,” Zelensky said.

Here is our live coverage of efforts by the US President Donald Trump to secure a ceasefire for Russia-Ukraine war.

• US President Donald Trump is due to hold separate phone calls with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts amid efforts to reach a ceasefire deal in the war in Ukraine.
• Trump is due to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin at 14:00 GMT. After that, he will have phone conversations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO leaders.
• Zelenskyy on Sunday met top US officials and European leaders in Rome, insisting that Ukraine is engaged in “real diplomacy” to get a ceasefire.
• Separately, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom discussed in a call with Trump the need for an unconditional ceasefire and for Putin to take “peace talks seriously”, according to a UK government spokesperson.
• The diplomatic efforts come as Ukraine says Russia launched its largest drone barrage since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022, firing a total of 273 exploding drones and decoys at several Ukrainian regions.

Zelenskyy to push for ceasefire, renewed pressure on Moscow during his call with Trump

There are expectations Zelenskyy will ask for two things during his call with Trump.

First of all, an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.

Secondly, for pressure on Putin. We’re talking sanctions, and anything else that can get him to the negotiating table.

Zelenskyy has been making these points consistently over the past two weeks. He says that Putin has shown that he’s not serious about holding these talks, and that he knows that because Putin sent a low-level delegation to the talks in Istanbul – people who Zelenskyy says didn’t have the power to make any real decisions.

And Putin made demands that would have granted Russia essentially everything it wanted as a precondition just to getting a ceasefire.

As all this is happening, and Zelenskyy is pressing for diplomacy, Russia has been pressing militarily. It has been striking in the Donetsk region in the east, and here in Kyiv and elsewhere over the weekend it launched a historic series of drone attacks.

Putin appears to be maximising military pressure ahead of any kind of talks, and not agreeing to a ceasefire or serious negotiations without preconditions at all.

Russia believes it’s in ‘good bargaining position’ despite impact of sanctions

While Russia’s official position is that it has already withstood extensive international sanctions and won’t be swayed by new ones, the financial strain has caused problems – particularly with paying for commercial imports and managing supply chain logistics with Europe, according to Russian defence analyst Pavel Felgenhauer.

“Money does not move easily,” Felgenhauer told Al Jazeera.

“But Russia’s economy is still working. Russia still sees itself as in a good bargaining position,” he said.

Kremlin says ending war will require ‘painstaking’ work

In a statement issued just before Trump and Putin got on the phone, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says efforts to end the war would be “painstaking”.

“In some areas, it may be a long process,” Peskov was quoted by state media as saying. “The settlement involves a large number of nuances that need to be discussed.”

He added that Russia is ready to work on resolving the challenges.

Trump-Putin calls: A recent timeline

• The first publicly announced call between Trump and Putin following the former’s return to the White House on January 20 took place on February 12.
• The two leaders had another call on March 18, with the Kremlin saying it lasted for about two hours.
• Also in March, the Kremlin said there may have been more contacts between Trump and Putin than what has been officially announced.
• The phone conversations are held over encrypted lines, with translators also taking part.

Russian president believes talks with Trump can help resolve ‘root causes’ of war

Putin has been waiting for years for direct talks with the US.

He believes that the US, because of its power and influence, can resolve all of the existing issues. And he believes that, initially, the US was standing behind Ukraine in this conflict, masterminding it and instigating Ukraine.

He wants the US, together with Russia, to address the so-called root causes of the conflict.

Analysts who are trying to predict what the two leaders will be discussing think that Putin will try to convince Trump not to support a set-day ceasefire, and ask him to halt, or at least reduce, the supply of arms to Ukraine, and stop providing intelligence to the Ukrainian army.

They also expect him to raise potential joint business projects with the US, the lifting of sanctions against Russia, and a possible in-person meeting with Trump in the future.

Is Chechnya’s Kadyrov going to resign?

The health of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who earlier this month sought to resign, is deteriorating rapidly, sources and observers have told Al Jazeera.

But Putin does not want Kadyrov to be succeeded by his third son, Adam Kadyrov, who turned 17 last November.

The disagreement has led to a falling-out between the Russian president and the head of the Chechen Republic, two Chechen insiders familiar with Kadyrov’s government told Al Jazeera.

The sources requested anonymity, as rights groups have previously documented a harsh crackdown on dissent in Chechnya, including the persecution of Kadyrov critics and their loved ones.

Read more here.

More about Trump-Putin call

As we previously reported, a White House official has confirmed the call between Trump and Putin is under way.

Reuters is now reporting that Putin is speaking from Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi, while Trump is in Washington, DC.

Trump expected to ‘gauge Putin’s intentions’ during call

We’ve heard from US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that a big part of Trump’s conversation is to really gauge Putin’s intentions – is he serious about [having this war] come to an end?

Vance also said that if Putin isn’t serious, then the US administration is quite happy to walk away from all these negotiations. So that’s kind of an ultimatum there.

But it’s not quite clear what it means – would the US then continue to arm Ukraine, or would it completely wash its hands of the conflict?

We know that European leaders talked with Trump on Sunday, calling for more sanctions on Russia. Trump said on his Truth Social platform said he would also be talking about trade with Russia during this phone call – that is thought to be about sanctions relief.

Trump-Putin call under way: Report

The two leaders are currently holding a phone conversation, according to a White House official cited by Reuters.

We’ll bring you more information as we have it.

Trump-Putin call: What each side wants

In his call with Putin, Trump will likely try to persuade Russia’s president to make key concessions by offering economic incentives, such as sanctions relief and new commercial projects, says Russian defence analyst Pavel Felgenhauer.

Putin, for his part, could be receptive to Trump because he wants to “build bridges” with the US, Felgenhauer told Al Jazeera.

Nevertheless, the two leaders’ telephone conversation “will most likely not be decisive”, he said, with key points following up on during an in-person summit.

Felgenhauer added that for Putin, a summit with Trump would help lift Russia out of isolation; and for Trump, he continued, it would reinforce the narrative that he alone “can do the trick” and strike a deal.

Sanctions on Russia: What to know

A record number of sanctions against Moscow has failed to bring a halt to the war in Ukraine so far.

Since the invasion in February 2022, other countries have placed more than 15,000 sanctions on Russia – the most ever imposed on any country.

The sanctions have targeted more than 1,600 individuals and 1,300 entities, including business leaders, officials and other figures linked to the Kremlin.

Major Russian banks have been shut out of the SWIFT international financial system, and some $300bn in foreign reserves have been frozen.

Meanwhile, the EU has banned Russian oil and gas imports, with its latest sanctions package also targeting 200 vessels suspected of dodging oil embargoes. Russian ships and aircraft have been banned from entering many countries’ ports or airspace.

Russian high-tech exports, including semiconductors and aerospace components, along with dual-use items that could have a military purpose, have also been restricted.

Hold the line

It is now 14:00 GMT, the time that both the US and Russia have confirmed as when Trump and Putin will speak on the phone.

Stay tuned.

Trump ‘weary and frustrated’ with Russia and Ukraine: White House

We have some comments made by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s press briefing.

“He’s grown weary and frustrated with both sides of the conflict,” Leavitt told reporters a few minutes ago, referring to Trump.

“He has made it clear to both sides that he wants to see a peaceful resolution and ceasefire as soon as possible.”

Germany calls on China to help bring peace to Ukraine

Germany has joined Denmark in calling on China to exert its influence on Russia over the war in Ukraine.

The German foreign office said Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has had talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on how to shape the future of the relationship between their countries, noting the Ukraine conflict as a central concern.

“Russia’s war in Ukraine affects core European interests. China has a responsibility for global peace,” it said on X.

Earlier, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he had had a “frank talk” with Wang about Beijing’s support for Russia, which he described as  “deeply problematic”.

Vance says Russia-Ukraine negotiations at ‘impasse’

We can now bring you some remarks from US Vice President JD Vance, who had sit-down with Zelenskyy yesterday in Rome.

Speaking to reporters on his way back to the US, Vance acknowledged that Russia-Ukraine negotiations have reached “a bit of an impasse”. Trump, Vance said, is likely to press Putin on whether he is seriously open to ending the war in their upcoming discussion.

“I think the president [Trump] is going to say to President Putin – ‘Look are you serious? Are you real about this?’” Vance said. “If you’re willing to stop the killing, the United States is willing to be a partner for peace.”

However, if Russia proves unwilling to engage in peace efforts, the US will have to walk away and say this is not our war, Vance added, according to Reuters.

EU to propose lowering of G7 price cap on Russian oil

European Economic Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis has told reporters the European Union will propose to G7 finance ministers to lower the current $60 per barrel price cap on Russian seaborne oil.

“This is something which we flagged from the Commission’s side in the context of the 18th sanctions package,” he said. “I would expect some interest also from other G7 partners in this regard and some discussion.”

Asked if he would make the proposal at the G7 finance ministers’ meeting in Canada later this week, he said: “Yes.”

Dombrovskis did not indicate the level to which the bloc would want the price cap lowered, but Reuters cited anonymous EU officials briefed on the discussions as saying the EU would propose $50 per barrel.

In January, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden had written a letter urging the European Commission to lower the $60 per barrel price cap, arguing it would reduce Russia’s revenues to continue the war in Ukraine while not upsetting the market.

If you’re just joining us

Let’s bring you up to speed with the main developments of the day:

• In about an hour, US President Donald Trump is due to hold a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine.
• After that, Trump is expected to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a number of NATO leaders.
• Russia has banned Amnesty International, accusing it of “Russophobia” and of advocating on behalf of Ukraine.
• Ukrainian officials say Russian attacks on the southern region of Kherson have killed two elderly people.
• Russia’s Defence Ministry says its forces have captured a village in northeastern Ukraine’s Sumy region and another in the eastern region of Donetsk, both of which border Russia.

Lithuania files case against Belarus at the ICJ

In wider news from the region, Lithuania says it has filed a case at the International Court of Justice against Belarus, a close ally of Russia.

“Since 2021, Belarus has weaponized migration against Lithuania and the EU,” the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X.

“Today, Lithuania filed a case against Belarus at the International Court of Justice over the migrant crisis orchestrated by the Lukashenko regime in violation of international law,” it added, referring to Belarus’s longtime President Alexander Lukashenko.

Could the Trump-Putin call lead to a ceasefire?

We’re less than 90 minutes away from the expected phone conversation between Trump and Putin.

You can read all about the significance of the call and what could come next in this piece put together by our colleague on Al Jazeera’s Explainers team Sarah Shamim.

Polish customs seize tyres for Boeing aircraft bound for Russia

Poland’s National Revenue Administration (NRA) says customs officials have seized 5 tonnes of tyres for civilian Boeing aircraft that were due to transit through Belarus and Russia.

“Officers … discovered during the inspection of a truck in Koroszczyn that the driver was transporting tyres used in Boeing civil planes instead of the declared car and bus tyres,” the NRA said, adding that such products are covered by EU sanctions imposed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Koroszczyn is located in eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus.

“The sender of the goods was a company from Spain, and the recipient was from Azerbaijan. Criminal fiscal proceedings were initiated in connection with customs fraud. The sanctioned goods were detained,” the NRA added.

There was no immediate comment from Boeing.

Denmark voices concern over China’s ‘problematic’ support for Russia

Denmark’s foreign minister, who is on a visit to Beijing, says he has had a “frank talk” with his Chinese counterpart about China’s backing of Russia.

In a statement reported by AFP, Lars Lokke Rasmussen said his discussions with Wang Yi included “stopping the deeply problematic Chinese support for Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine”, among other things.

Rasmussen also said he urged Beijing to use “its influence in Moscow to stop the war”, adding that it had a responsibility to do so as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Rasmussen’s meeting with Wang took place during a visit marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the countries.

Russia’s preconditions ‘unacceptable’ to Ukraine

All of the preconditions that Putin is asking for are unacceptable to Zelenskyy and to the Ukrainian government here – they would be upset to accept those terms at the end of an agreement; for them to be preconditions is really a non-starter.

That’s why Zelenskyy has said that he was really disappointed with the meeting in Istanbul which, he said, was carried out with low-level officers who had very little room to make any kinds of decisions.

They did come out with a prisoner swap of 1,000 prisoners on each side but other than that, really nothing – and that is because of that tough Russian stance.

Meanwhile, Russia has accelerated strikes here in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine, and all of that has really suggested to the Ukrainians that Russia is not serious about this process.

That’s what Zelenskyy has said and that’s likely to be what he will say in his own call with Trump a little later today.

How to achieve a lasting ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine?

It took three years to get officials from Ukraine and Russia in the same room. But President Vladimir Putin, who proposed the meeting, didn’t go to Istanbul and the talks ended in about 90 minutes.

The result: An agreement for a large-scale prisoner exchange, talks about their presidents meeting, and both sides pushing their vision of a future ceasefire. Yet, diplomacy isn’t narrowing the great gap between Russia and Ukraine.

So, is Putin agreeing to further talks to avoid more sanctions? And with Russia steadily advancing on the battlefield, can Zelenskky afford to push for peace, without further compromise?

Putin ‘confident of his stronger position’ in Ukraine

The Russian president is preparing for an upcoming call with the US president, and it seems Putin is confident of his stronger position in the Ukraine conflict.

He believes that Russia is capable of breaking through Ukrainian defences and establishing control over four regions that Moscow considers its own, even though they’re only partially taken under Russia’s control.

It seems Putin hopes to take them under control before the end of this year.

Russia is increasing its drone attacks on Ukraine as well as making advances on the battlefield.

Sources say that Russia is also planning to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile, which is seen as an attempt to intimidate Ukraine and the West.

Meanwhile, Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, has said that the conversation between the two presidents will take into account the results of the talks in Istanbul, which took place on Friday.

During the Istanbul talks, Russia put forward a number of demands to Ukraine in order to stop the attacks.

Those demands are the neutral status of Ukraine, that there should be no foreign troops or weapons of mass destruction in the country, that Ukraine should not claim war reparations from Moscow, and that Crimea and four other regions must be recognised internationally as part of Russia.

Ukraine must withdraw troops from these four regions that Russia considers its own territory, according to the Russian Constitution, but which Russia does not control entirely. Those regions are Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson, and Ukraine considers these demands unacceptable.

According to Peskov, a meeting in person between Putin and Trump will take place when both sides are ready. The meeting should be productive, and its timing should be determined by the leaders of these two countries themselves, he said.

Ukraine says Russian attacks on Kherson kill man and woman in their 70s

Ukrainian officials say separate Russian attacks have on the southern region of Kherson have killed two elderly people.

Local authorities and police in the regional capital of Kherson said a 75-year-old woman was killed and two people were wounded in shelling late on Sunday of a central area in the city.

Police also said a 76-year-old man was killed in a drone attack this morning on a residential area of the Kakhovka district of Kherson on the Dnipro River.

Photographs posted by the police on Telegram showed devastated buildings and vehicles after the attacks, which they said had damaged two apartment buildings, 17 private houses and a factory, among other infrastructure.

There was no immediate comment by Russia.

What happened at the Istanbul talks?

Trump’s calls with the leaders will take place three days after Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Turkiye for their first direct talks in more than three years.

The talks at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace lasted less than two hours and ended without a ceasefire deal.

But the two sides did reach an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each in what would be their biggest swap since the war began.

Rustem Umerov, who headed the Ukrainian delegation, told reporters afterwards that Kyiv believed the next step should be talks between the country’s leaders.

Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian negotiating team, confirmed that both sides had agreed to provide each other with detailed proposals for a ceasefire and a meeting between their leaders. He also said Moscow was satisfied with the outcome of the talks and was prepared to continue talking to Kyiv.

A senior Ukrainian official told Reuters that Russian delegates had demanded that Kyiv pull its troops out of all Ukrainian regions claimed by Moscow before they would agree to a ceasefire along with “other nonstarters and nonconstructive conditions”.

The source described Russia’s demands as “detached from reality” and “far beyond anything that was previously discussed”.

Zelenskyy, who had called on Putin to meet with him personally for talks, expressed his disappointment in the meeting, saying Moscow had sent “a low-level delegation that had no decision-making authority”.

The US had dampened expectations before the Istanbul talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying he did not expect any breakthrough until Trump and Putin engaged directly on the subject.

Russia bans Amnesty International as as ‘undesirable’ organisation

Authorities in Russia have designated the global human rights group Amnesty International as an “undesirable organisation”, a label given to groups deemed to undermine the country’s national security.

In a statement, Russia’s prosecutor general alleged that Amnesty’s London office was a “centre for the preparation of global Russophobic projects” and accused it of advocating on behalf of Ukraine.

It also alleged the rights group is “doing everything possible to intensify the military confrontation in the region. They justify the crimes of Ukrainian neo-Nazis, call for an increase in their funding, and insist on the political and economic isolation of our country”.

There was no immediate comment from Amnesty.

The “undesirable” designation means the London-based rights group must stop all work in Russia. A 2015 law mandates penalties of up to five years in prison for Russian citizens involved with designated groups.

Organisations previously banned as undesirable include the international environmental organisation Greenpeace and US government-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Zelenskyy hails ‘good meeting’ with Vance, Rubio

The Ukrainian president has given a positive assessment of his meeting on Sunday with US Vice President JD Vance in Rome – their first sit-down since Zelenskyy’s fiery encounter with Vance and Trump before the world’s media in the Oval Office of the White House in February.

In a Telegram post, Zelenskyy said the talks with Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio went well.

“We discussed the talks in Istanbul, where the Russians sent a low-level delegation that had no decision-making authority,” he said. “I reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness for real diplomacy and emphasised the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible.”

He said the discussions in Rome also covered the need for sanctions against Russia, defence cooperation, a battlefield report and the upcoming prisoner exchange between Moscow and Kyiv as well as trade between the US and Ukraine.

“Pressure on Russia must continue until it is ready to stop the war. And, of course, we discussed our joint steps to achieve a just and sustainable peace,” he said.

“I thank the entire American people for their support and leadership in saving lives.”

US push to get elusive ceasefire in place

The Trump administration appears to be a mounting an all-out drive to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine.

President Trump will be holding a series of phone calls over the coming hours. He’ll be speaking to both the Ukrainian and Russian presidents, as well as European leaders.

Meanwhile, his special envoy to the region Steve Witkoff told ABC on Sunday that “we have to get to a ceasefire” and “most importantly, we have to get to a final peace deal”, expressing belief that “it’s going to be a very successful call”.

Vice President JD Vance has also had a series of meetings in Italy, including with Zelenskyy and European leaders, lending support to the concept that there is a massive Trump administration thrust under way to get that elusive ceasefire in place.

Russia says Putin-Trump call to take into account results of Istanbul talks

The Kremlin has confirmed that Putin will hold a call with Trump at 5pm Moscow time (14:00 GMT).

State news agency RIA cited spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying the discussion of Ukraine would take into account the results of talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Istanbul last week.

Peskov described the conversation between the two leaders as “important”, adding that Russia’s positions have already been communicated.

Russia claims control of 2 more Ukrainian villages

The Russian Defence Ministry says its forces have seized the village of Marine, in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, and Novoolenivka village in the eastern Donetsk region.

The announcement of the latest takeovers was made on Telegram.

There was no immediate comment by Ukraine.

Trump’s high expectations

Trump has said his goal in today’s calls is to “stop the bloodbath” that, he says, is killing 5,000 Ukrainian and Russian soldiers each week.

He said after his call with Putin is over, he will talk to Ukraine’s Zelenskyy and NATO leaders.

The order of that is less than optimal from the Ukrainian perspective, because it suggests that Trump will be relating Russian talking points, and of course, Zelenskyy wants to be right in on those discussions.

Trump somewhat undermined Zelenskyy when he said nothing really big is going to happen in these negotiations until he has a face-to-face meeting with Putin.

That would seem to cut Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians out and give them a secondary role – something Zelenskyy very much does not want to happen – and you can bet he will be pressing those points in his conversation with Trump after Trump talks to Putin.

But Trump says he’s hoping the call will lead to a ceasefire and, ultimately, to the end of the war.

Romania’s new president: Ukraine support ‘essential’

Nicusor Dan, the pro-European centrist who has just been elected president in Romania, has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine.

He campaigned on maintaining Romania’s backing for its northeastern neighbour, telling Reuters in an interview last month that “the war in Ukraine is essential for the security of Romania”.

By contrast, his hard-right, eurosceptic rival George Simion had pledged to end military aid to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy confident Romania will be ‘reliable partner’ after Dan win

The Ukrainian president has congratulated Nicusor Dan for his victory in yesterday’s presidential election run-off in neighbouring Romania.

The pro-European mayor of Bucharest won 54 percent of the votes to beat nationalist George Simion, who got 46 percent, according to official results.

“For Ukraine — as a neighbour and friend — it is important to have Romania as a reliable partner. And we are confident we will. By working together, we can strengthen both our countries and our Europe,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post.

“We will always have great respect for Romania and its people, especially given the support we received during the most difficult period in our history,” he added, expressing keenness to further develop “the strategic partnership” between the two countries.

Finland to supply Ukraine with ammunition using proceeds from frozen Russian assets

The Defence Ministry of Finland has said it will supply ammunition to Ukraine by using proceeds from frozen Russian assets.

In a statement, it said material worth 90 million euros ($101m) would be acquired from Finnish companies.

“Finland has been selected as one of the states implementing European Union measures to supply Ukraine with defence materiel using proceeds from frozen Russian assets,” it added.

There was no immediate comment by the Kremlin, which has repeatedly said  any move to seize or sell off frozen Russian assets would be illegal and challenged in court.

Finland ended seven decades of military non-alignment by joining NATO in April 2023, in a historic policy shift that was brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

After Putin sent troops into the neighbouring country in 2022, the US and its Western allies banned transactions with Russia’s central bank and Finance Ministry. The move blocked $300-350m of sovereign Russian assets, mostly European, US and UK government bonds held in a European securities depository.

And what happened yesterday?

• Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 273 drones at Ukrainian cities, destroying homes and killing at least one person, in the largest such attack since the start of the war.
• Russia said its forces had seized the settlement of Bahatyr in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, as well as downing 75 Ukrainian drones.
• On the diplomatic front, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom pressed the need for sanctions against Russia in a call with Trump before his telephone summit with Putin, according to the office of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
• Zelenskyy met US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Rome, on the sidelines of Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration, to discuss the latest developments on the ceasefire talks.
• Putin told Russian state television that he wanted to “eliminate the causes that triggered” Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and “create the conditions for a lasting peace and guarantee Russia’s security”.
  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets US Vice President JD Vance in Rome on Sunday

What’s happening today?

All eyes will be on US President Donald Trump’s phone calls with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump is expected to call Putin first, at 14:00 GMT, in less than six hours from now. It will be followed by calls to Zelenskyy and NATO leaders.

In a post on social media on Saturday, the US president voiced hope for a “productive day” today.

Trump also said his discussion with Putin would focus on stopping the “bloodbath” of “a war that should have never happened”, as well as trade.

Welcome to our live coverage

Hello, and thank you for joining our live coverage of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Stay with our live team as we bring you all the latest developments, reactions and analysis throughout the day.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Ukraine to take part in “direct talks” on 15 May, hours after European leaders urged Moscow to agree to a 30-day ceasefire.

In a rare televised late-night address from the Kremlin, Putin said Russia was seeking “serious negotiations” aimed at “moving towards a lasting, strong peace”.

Earlier on Saturday, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer travelled to Kyiv with counterparts from France, Germany and Poland to put pressure on Russia to commit to an unconditional ceasefire, starting Monday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said Moscow would “have to think this through” – but warned that “trying to pressure us is quite useless”.

In his own statement, Putin said he could “not rule out” the possibility that the talks could result in Russia and Ukraine agreeing “a new truce”.

The Russian leader said the proposed talks should be held in the Turkish city of Istanbul, as they have been before, and that he would speak to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday to discuss the details.

Kyiv has not responded to the invitation.

The Ukrainian capital played host on Saturday to Sir Keir, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz and Poland’s Donald Tusk, who form part of the “coalition of the willing” – a group of countries committed to supporting Ukraine.

Alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, they took part in a joint news conference.

The leaders warned that “new and massive” sanctions would be imposed on Russia’s energy and banking sectors should Putin not agree to the unconditional 30-day ceasefire “in the air, at sea and on land”.

They also said they had discussed the proposal with Donald Trump. Sir Keir later told the BBC the US president was “absolutely clear” that their suggestion of an immediate ceasefire was a “demand that must be met”.

After the meeting, Zelensky thanked the assembled leaders for “standing with” Ukraine.

“Today we will focus on how to build and guarantee real and lasting security,” he said.

Responding to the proposal, the Kremlin’s Peskov said: “It is a new development. But trying to pressure us is quite useless.”

Russian state media also quoted him as saying that statements from Europe were “generally confrontational in nature rather than aimed at trying to revive our relations”.

Moscow has previously said that before considering a ceasefire, the West must first halt its military aid to Ukraine.

Putin later made his own statement, with video showing journalists assembled in a hall inside the Kremlin.

“This would be the first step towards a long-term, lasting peace, rather than a prologue to more armed hostilities after the Ukrainian armed forces get new armaments and personnel, after feverish trench-digging and the establishment of new command posts,” he said.

“Who needs peace like that?”

Putin also accused Ukraine of having repeatedly failed to respond to multiple ceasefire proposals from Moscow, including a 30-day halt in attacks on energy infrastructure and last month’s Easter truce.

Another ceasefire Putin flagged was one he ordered in April to coincide with World War Two commemorations. It ended on Saturday at midnight local time (21:00 GMT).

Kyiv had rejected the unilateral, three-day ceasefire, calling it a “theatrical show”. Instead, Zelensky reiterated calls for a longer truce of at least 30 days.

While it saw a decrease in fighting, each side accused the other of breaches.

On Thursday – the same day the supposed ceasefire took effect – Ukraine accused Russia of more than 730 violations and said it was responding “appropriately”.

Russia’s defence ministry insisted the truce was being observed, before accusing Ukraine of 488 violations.

“In spite of everything, we are offering the Kyiv authorities to resume the negotiations… resume direct talks, and I stress, without any preconditions,” Putin said on Saturday.

The last direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv took place in 2022, the year Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said the call was aimed at aligning Ukraine and Russia “in terms of their requests and needs”, adding that ceasefire efforts were on track.

Zelensky described his conversation with Trump as “positive”, “frank”, and “very substantive”.

“We believe that together with America, with President Trump, and under American leadership, lasting peace can be achieved this year,” he wrote on X.

Speaking during an online briefing on Wednesday, Zelensky said he and Trump had discussed possible US ownership of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia power plant.

Zelensky admits that Europe’s largest power plant, which is on the frontline, could take more than two years to be made operational again and is vital for Ukrainians and Europeans.

He also said that a halt on strikes on energy infrastructure, rail and port facilities could be established quickly as part of a partial ceasefire brokered by Washington and Kyiv – but Zelensky warned that Ukraine would retaliate if Moscow violated the terms of the ceasefire.

“I understand that until we agree (with Russia), until there is a corresponding document on even a partial ceasefire, I think that everything will fly,” he said, referring to drones and missiles.

He told reporters that he believed Putin would not agree to a full ceasefire while Ukrainian troops remained in Russia’s western Kursk region, after Kyiv launched a surprise attack on the region in August last year.

Zelensky also told reporters that he had not been pressured by Trump to cave into demands from Moscow, saying: “There was none. And this is a fact. You know that I am an open person. If it was, I would have told you frankly.”

Both Zelensky and Putin have said they would agree to halt attacks on energy infrastructure. However, both have since accused each other of continued attacks.

Trump is seeking a wider truce, but in their phone call on Tuesday Putin rejected a full 30-day ceasefire backed by the US and Ukraine.

Trump said Wednesday’s call with Zelensky lasted about an hour.

“Much of the discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Putin in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Later Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a more detailed statement, saying that Trump had agreed to help Ukraine source additional air defence systems, particularly in Europe.

The two leaders “agreed to share information closely between their defence staffs as the battlefield situation evolved”, he said.

Technical teams would meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to discuss broadening the ceasefire to the Black Sea, Rubio added, saying they agreed that this could be the first step towards fully ending the war.

Trump also raised the possibility of the US taking ownership of Ukraine’s power plants, adding that it would be the “best protection” for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Rubio said.

The apparently cordial mood of the conversation is in marked contrast to Zelensky’s visit to the White House at the end of February, in which the two leaders – along with US Vice-President JD Vance – were involved in a tense exchange.

Afterwards the US temporarily suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, but diplomats were able to improve relations and on 11 March the two sides agreed on a ceasefire.

During his call with Trump on Tuesday, Putin agreed to halt Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

But he said a full ceasefire would only work if Ukraine’s supporters stopped giving military assistance – a condition Kyiv’s European allies have previously rejected.

Hours later both Ukraine and Russia launched attacks, with Kyiv saying hospitals had been targeted.

Officials in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar said that a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a small fire at an oil depot.

Despite the strikes, Kyiv and Moscow carried out an exchange of prisoners on Wednesday. Each side released 175 POWs.

Zelensky described the swap as “one of the largest”, adding that Russia included an extra 22 “severely wounded” soldiers.

Trump posted on Truth Social that he will speak with Putin on Tuesday morning.

He said that while there have been agreements, “much remains” to be worked upon.

“Each week brings 2,500 soldier deaths, from both sides, and it must end NOW. I look very much forward to the call with President Putin,” Trump wrote.

He earlier told reporters that “we’re going to see if we can work a peace agreement, a ceasefire and peace, and I think we’ll be able to do it”.

In his nightly address on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Putin of prolonging the war.

“This proposal could have been implemented long ago,” he said, adding that “every day in wartime means human lives”.

There have been inconsistencies from within the Trump administration over how advanced the ceasefire talks are.

Speaking after his meeting in Jeddah with Ukrainian officials, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the “bulk” of the conversation had been “what a negotiation process would look like” and not “the specific conditions”.

US envoy Steve Witkoff, who met with Putin on Thursday in Moscow, has also struck a more measured tone.

Meanwhile, the UK and France have urged Putin to prove he wants a peace deal with Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the “courage” of Zelenksy in agreeing to a ceasefire proposal, and challenged Russia to do the same.

“Enough deaths. Enough lives destroyed. Enough destruction. The guns must fall silent,” Macron said in a post on X.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Putin should agree to a “full and unconditional ceasefire now”, telling MPs he had seen “no sign” that Putin was serious about a peace deal.

He warned that the UK and its allies have “more cards that we can play” to help force Russia to negotiate “seriously”.

The White House sounded a more upbeat note on the eve of the Trump-Putin talks, which will take place by phone, saying peace in Ukraine has “never been closer”.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that Trump was “determined” to secure the peace deal.

On what the talks might cover, she said: “There’s a power plant that is on the border of Russia and Ukraine that was up for discussion with the Ukrainians, and he will address it in his call with Putin tomorrow.”

The facility is likely to be the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. It has been occupied by Russian forces since March 2022, and fears of a nuclear accident have persisted due to fighting in the area.

Asked on Sunday what concessions were being considered in the ceasefire negotiations, Trump said: “We’ll be talking about land. We’ll be talking about power plants […] We’re already talking about that, dividing up certain assets.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on what the leaders would discuss, responding, “we never do that”.

While Putin has previously said he supports a ceasefire, he also set out a list of conditions for achieving peace.

One of the areas of contention is Russia’s Western Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a military incursion last August and captured some territory.

Russia had pushed to recapture it in recent weeks, and Putin now claims it is fully back in control of Kursk.

He has also raised numerous questions about how a ceasefire could be monitored and policed along the frontline in the east, and has said he would not accept Nato troops on the territory.

The peace proposal on the table was discussed by Ukrainian and American delegates in Saudi Arabia last week.

After hours locked away in a room, they announced proposals for a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine said it was ready to accept.

France’s President Macron and newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who met on Tuesday, stressed their nations would continue their “unwavering” support of Ukraine and demand “clear commitments” from Russia.

US envoy Steve Witkoff, who met with Putin on Thursday in Moscow, told CNN that he expected that “there will be a call with both presidents this week”.

“We’re also continuing to engage and have conversation with the Ukrainians,” he added. “We’re advising them on everything we’re thinking about.”

Last week, the US and Ukraine agreed to propose a 30-day ceasefire to Russia. While Putin said that he supported a ceasefire, he also set out a list of tough conditions for achieving peace.

Witkoff said in the interview on Sunday: “I think the two presidents are going to have a really good and positive discussion this week.”

He also said that teams of US negotiators would meet counterparts from both Ukraine and Russia during the coming week.

Witkoff added that he believed a deal would be reached “in [the] coming weeks”.

“I am really hopeful we are going to see some progress here,” he said.

During his election campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to end the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour in 2022, on “day one” of a new administration.

Less than a month after he was inaugurated, Trump had call with Putin that reportedly spanned 90 minutes about immediately starting negotiations on ending the war.

Witkoff declined to answer a question on how Russian-occupied land in Ukraine could be addressed in a potential deal. Russia currently controls around a fifth of Ukraine.

The envoy said Trump was actively participating in the diplomatic back-and-forth.

As an example, Witkoff said that “within five to 10 minutes” of his meeting with Putin concluding on Thursday, he had returned to the US embassy to brief Trump, as well as Vice-President JD Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.

“So the president is getting updates in real time on everything that’s happening and he’s involved in every important decision here,” he said.

The Russian president was responding to a plan for a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine agreed to earlier this week following talks with the US.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described Putin’s response to the plan as “manipulative” and called for more sanctions on Russia.

Meanwhile, the US placed further sanctions on Russian oil, gas and banking sectors.

Russian officials said Putin was expected to hold talks on the ceasefire on Thursday evening with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, who had flown to Moscow earlier that day.

It is not clear whether that meeting actually took place. On Friday, Russia’s state media quoted the air traffic monitor Flightradar as saying the plane believed to be carrying Witkoff had left Moscow.

Moscow and Washington have not commented on the issue.

Late on Thursday and overnight, both Russia and Ukraine reported new enemy drone attacks.

Ukraine said seven people – including children – were injured in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv.

Russia reported a large fire at an oil facility in the southern city of Tuapse.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow on Thursday, Putin said of the ceasefire proposal: “The idea is right – and we support it – but there are questions that we need to discuss.”

A ceasefire should lead to “an enduring peace and remove the root causes of this crisis”, Putin said.

“We need to negotiate with our American colleagues and partners,” he said. “Maybe I’ll have a call with Donald Trump.”

Putin added: “It will be good for the Ukrainian side to achieve a 30-day ceasefire.

“We are in favour of it, but there are nuances.”

One of the areas of contention is Russia’s western Kursk region, Putin said, where Ukraine launched a military incursion last August and captured some territory.

He claimed Russia was fully back in control of Kursk, and said Ukrainian troops there “have been isolated”.

“They are trying to leave, but we are in control. Their equipment has been abandoned,” Putin said.

“There are two options for Ukrainians in Kursk – surrender or die.”

Ukraine’s top commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said a day earlier that Ukrainian troops would hold defensive positions in the Kursk region “as long as it is expedient and necessary” despite “increased” pressure from Russian forces.

At Thursday’s press conference, Putin also outlined some of his questions over how a ceasefire would work. He asked: “How will those 30 days be used? For Ukraine to mobilise? Rearm? Train people? Or none of that? Then a question – how will that be controlled?

“Who will give the order to end the fighting? At what cost? Who decides who has broken any possible ceasefire, over 2,000km? All those questions need meticulous work from both sides. Who polices it?”

Putin “doesn’t say no directly”, Zelensky said in his nightly video address, but “in practice, he’s preparing a rejection”.

He added: “Putin, of course, is afraid to tell President Trump directly that he wants to continue this war, wants to kill Ukrainians.”

The Russian leader had set so many pre-conditions “that nothing will work out at all”, Zelensky said.

After Putin’s remarks and Zelensky’s response, there is now a clear divide between both sides’ positions.

Ukraine wants a two-stage process: a quick ceasefire and then talks about a longer-term settlement.

Russia believes you cannot separate the two processes and all the issues should be decided in a single deal. Both sides seem content to argue their differences.

Ukraine believes it can put pressure on Russia, painting it as a reluctant peacemaker, playing for time. Russia, equally, believes it has a chance now to raise its fundamental concerns, about Nato expansion and Ukraine’s sovereignty.

But this presents a problem for Donald Trump. He has made it clear he wants a quick result, ending the fighting in days.

And right now, Putin does not appear to want to play ball.

Speaking at the White House following Putin’s remarks, Trump said he would “love” to meet the Russian leader and that he hoped Russia would “do the right thing” and agree to the proposed 30-day truce.

“We’d like to see a ceasefire from Russia,” he said.

Speaking earlier at a meeting in the Oval Office with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump told reporters he had already discussed specifics with Ukraine.

“We’ve been discussing with Ukraine land and pieces of land that would be kept and lost, and all of the other elements of a final agreement,” Trump said.

“A lot of the details of a final agreement have actually been discussed.”

On the subject of Ukraine joining the Nato military alliance, Trump said “everybody knows what the answer to that is”.

The fresh sanctions on Russian oil and gas came as the Trump administration further restricted access to US payment systems, making it harder for other countries to buy Russian oil.

Earlier in the day, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov rejected the ceasefire proposal put forward by the US.

On Wednesday, the Kremlin released a video it said showed Putin visiting Russia’s Kursk region, symbolically dressed in military fatigues. Russia later said it recaptured the key town of Sudzha.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, and now controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.

More than 95,000 people fighting for Russia’s military have been killed in the war, according to data analysed so far and confirmed by the BBC. The actual death toll is believed to be much higher.

Russia’s military has not publicly revealed its battlefield casualties since September 2022, when it said 5,937 soldiers had been killed.

Ukraine last updated its casualty figures in December 2024, when Zelensky acknowledged 43,000 Ukrainian deaths among soldiers and officers. Western analysts believe this figure to be underestimated.

Eleven injured in Russian missile attack on Zelensky’s hometown, regional head says

Ukraine says a Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih – President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown – has injured 11 people, with six of those being treated in hospital in a “moderate” condition.

According to the regional head, Serhiy Lysak, the attack on the central Ukrainian city targeted a residential area, with extensive damage to four apartment buildings, several homes, businesses and communication networks.

The number of wounded is expected to rise, he says in a post on Telegram, while the fire caused by the attack has been put out.

The attack is more “proof that the Russians are at war with the civilian population,” he adds.

This is not the first attack this month of Zelensky’s hometown. 

We’ve had good calls with Russia and Ukraine, Trump says

Trump says that the US have had “good calls” with both Ukraine and Russia today.

“But it’s not easy,” he said.

Trump also praised himself for bringing the two sides to the point of discussing negotiations.

“I think we’ve had some very good results,” he said. “Just before I came here I got some pretty good news.” Though, he did not provide any further details on what he’s referring to.

He again claimed Ukrainian troops are “surrounded” and in “grave danger”, without providing further evidence.

“I asked him [Putin] not to kill those soldiers,” he added. “We don’t want them killed.”

Rubio calls for Russia and Ukraine to both make concessions

Rubio reasserts that “the only way to end this war is through a process of negotiations”.

He says both sides have to make concessions, adding this is the “reality” of ending a war.

The precise nature of those concessions remains to be seen and making “blanket statements” wouldn’t be helpful at this stage, the secretary of state adds.

Difficult to negotiate lasting peace in midst of war, Rubio says

Rubio says every country has the right to defend itself and its territory. He adds that Ukraine will “obviously have to agree” on what long-term security means for the country.

He stresses that an immediate ceasefire is essential.

“We can’t get to the second phase till we get through the first phase,” Rubio says.

“It’s very difficult to negotiate lasting peace in the midst of an ongoing war.”

Rubio admits he does not know how aligned US, Ukraine and Russia are yet

The US secretary of state continues to answer questions on the timescale of ceasefire proposals for the Ukraine war.

Rubio repeats that Witkoff is not here yet, but says there’s a lot of work to be done.

He admits it will be hard, saying he’s never said it would be “easy, fast, simple slam-dunk”.

It could come together pretty quickly if everyone aligns, Rubio tells press, but says he doesn’t know how aligned they are yet. “That’s what we’re about to find out,” he adds.

Asked again how long Putin has to agree to the ceasefire, Rubio responds: “The question isn’t how long, but are we actually moving towards a ceasefire, or is this a delay tactic?”

He says they’ll know that soon, a lot of which will be based from Witkoff’s conversation with Putin.

Negotiations ‘will not play out’ at press conferences

In response to a question asking whether Putin is playing for time, Rubio says that America is not going to make foreign policy decisions on the basis of what a leader says at a press conference or on social media.

He says negotiations will play out with leaders speaking privately in talks, not in front of cameras.

‘Do you trust Putin?’

Next up, Rubio is asked if he trusts Putin.

He says that’s an irrelevant question because it’s not about trust but action.

The US secretary of state says if we’re serious about foreign policy, we need to move away from this kind of talk.

He adds it’s not a reality show and it’s not about personalities.

US ‘cautiously optimistic’ over Ukraine deal

The US secretary of state says there is reason to be cautiously optimistic over the Ukraine ceasefire deal, but adds that it will not be easy or simple.

He says the US feels they are “some steps closer” to the end of the war but it’s a “journey of many steps”.

“There’s a lot of work remains to be done,” he says, adding that they’ll know more once US special envoy Steve Witkoff returns.

This comes after US President Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed for Ukraine to give up some of its minerals in exchange for support, in a deal which is currently being finalised, according to a Ukrainian minister.

In a state TV interview on Monday, Putin said he was ready to “offer” resources to American partners in joint projects, including mining in Russia’s “new territories” – a reference to parts of eastern Ukraine that Russia has occupied since launching a full-scale invasion three years ago.

The proposal could also see the two countries collaborating on aluminium extraction and supply to the US to stabilise prices, he added.

In his televised interview, Putin countered Trump’s push to access Ukraine’s mineral deposits, saying they were ready to work with “foreign partners” including companies on mining minerals.

Putin said a potential US-Ukraine deal on rare minerals was not a concern and that Russia “undoubtedly have, I want to emphasise, significantly more resources of this kind than Ukraine”.

“As for the new territories, it’s the same. We are ready to attract foreign partners to the so-called new, to our historical territories, which have returned to the Russian Federation,” he added.

He also suggested that Russia and the US could collaborate on aluminium production in Krasnoyarsk, in Siberia, where one Russian aluminium maker, Rusal, has its largest smelters.

The televised comments followed a cabinet meeting on Russia’s natural resources.

On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists the proposal opened up “quite broad prospects”, adding that the US needed rare earth minerals and Russia had “a lot of them”.

Offering the US access to minerals is an eye-catching move by Putin, given how much pride the Kremlin has taken in keeping Russia’s natural wealth in Russian hands. In 2023 Putin accused the West, particularly the US, of trying to “dismember” Russia to gain access to its natural resources.

Putin’s intervention comes as Ukraine has been facing growing pressure from the Trump administration to sign a deal for access to its mineral deposits.

Kyiv estimates that about 5% of the world’s critical raw materials are in Ukraine. However, some of the mineral deposits have been seized by Russia in the three years since its invasion of Ukraine.

Trump said earlier this month that the US military and economic aid to Ukraine amounted to about $500bn (£396bn), and he wants the US to have access to Ukrainian minerals of that value.

Zelenzky has disputed that figure and is also said to want any deal to include security guarantees.

On Monday Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, Olga Stefanishyna, said negotiations on such a deal “have been very constructive, with nearly all key details finalised”.

Similarly – albeit in a different approach to the US – the European Union has also proposed a partnership with Ukraine that would give it access to minerals in what the the European Commissioner for industrial strategy, Stéphane Séjourné, called a “win-win”.