Donald Trump has been urged to pressure Russia with further sanctions, after Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky warned Vladimir Putin is “trying to buy time” to continue his war.
The US president insisted progress had been made after his two-hour call with the Russian president on Monday.
But despite Mr Trump saying negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow would begin “immediately”, the Kremlin quickly poured cold water on the US president’s optimistic statements, saying “there are no deadlines and there can’t be any”.
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said Russia's failure to negotiate in good faith should trigger threatened US sanctions.
"We really haven't seen, you know, the pressure on Russia from these talks," she told reporters.
Mr Trump, meanwhile, repeated his threat to abandon efforts to broker peace, insisting that he has a “red line in my head” on when he will walk away and saying: “This is not my war.”
Meanwhile, heavy fighting continued along the front line, with Ukraine reporting 177 combat clashes and claiming to have inflicted more than 1,000 casualties upon Russia over the past 24 hours.
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Key Points
- Zelensky accuses Putin of trying to ‘buy time’ to continue Russia’s war
- Trump says he will abandon peace efforts if ‘red line in my head’ is crossed
- Kremlin refuses to give any deadline for Ukraine memorandum: ‘Devil is in the details’
- Russia ‘suffers over 1,000 casualties’ as Ukraine reports heavy day of fighting along front line
- Britain announces fresh sanctions against Russia
Zelensky thanks EU for fresh sanctions on Russia
16:49
,
Andy Gregory
Volodymyr Zelensky said he has European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen today and expressed gratitude for the latest EU sanctions against Russia.
“Russian oil, energy trade infrastructure, banks and financial schemes are what is most painful for Russia, and accordingly, the most useful for peace,” the Ukrainian president wrote on social media.
“The more pressure there is on Russia, the more motives Moscow will have to move towards real peace.”
He added: “Ursula and I also discussed preparations for the EU’s 18th sanctions package. Russian oil, energy trade infrastructure, banks, and financial schemes – these are the areas that hurt Russia the most, and therefore contribute the most to peace. I thank everyone who advocates for tougher sanctions and makes strong decisions.”
Ukraine pushes for G7 to lower price cap on Russian oil
16:21
,
Andy Gregory
Ukraine is pushing for the G7 to halve its price cap on Russian seaborne oil to $30 per barrel, foreign minister Andriy Sybiha has said.
Speaking during a visit to Brussels, where his EU counterparts were holding a summit on Tuesday, Mr Sybiha said Kyiv believed this was “the reasonable” price cap.
His remarks came as the EU and Britain announced new sanctions which they said would zero in on Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers and financial companies which are accused of helping Moscow avoid the impact of other sanctions imposed in response to the Ukraine war.
Britain and the EU said they would also work to lower the oil price cap, which imposes far less of a discount on Russian oil now that global prices have fallen this year. EU officials briefed on discussions on the matter have told Reuters that the EU will propose a price cap of $50 per barrel.
EU ramps up pressure on Trump to hit Russia with new sanctions
15:52
,
Andy Gregory
The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has piled pressure on Donald Trump to hit Russia with further sanctions, after the US president’s call to Vladimir Putin failed to secure a Russian commitment to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
“We all agreed and said ... that if they don't agree to unconditional ceasefire, like Ukraine has agreed over 60 days ago, there will be strong action,” Ms Kallas said. “And that is what we want to see from all the parties who have said that they will act in accordance.”
Speaking as both the EU and Britain unveiled fresh packages of sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, Ms Kallas told reporters: “We really haven't seen, you know, the pressure on Russia from these talks.”
Echoing her remarks, Germany’s foreign minister Johann Wadephul said: “We have repeatedly made it clear that we expect one thing from Russia – an immediate ceasefire without preconditions.”
As Russia has not accepted a ceasefire, “we will have to react,” he said, adding: “We also expect our US allies not to tolerate this.”
Trump administration ‘draws up plans to fund repatriation of Ukrainians using foreign aid’
15:25
,
Andy Gregory
The Donald Trump administration has drawn up plans to spend some $250m earmarked for foreign aid to instead fund the repatriation of people seeking shelter in the United States from active war zones, including Ukraine, according to a report.
Citing draft documents, the Washington Post reported that some 200,000 Ukrainians and 500,000 Haitians could be targeted in the plans, which are said to have been drafted after an announcement on 5 May said any migrants who voluntarily leave the US would be eligible for $1,000 in assistance.
A spokesperson for the US Department for Homeland Security told the outlet that the documents were legitimate but “outdated” and said US homeland security secretary Kristi L Noem is yet to make a “final” decision on the temporary protected immigration status of Ukrainians and Haitians.
It comes after some of the 240,000 Ukrainians living in the US were mistakenly emailed last month to say that their parole status had been withdrawn and that they had to self-deport within seven days.
Germany counting on Trump to pressure Russia into ceasefire, says minister
14:47
,
Andy Gregory
Germany is still counting on the US to pile more pressure on Russia for an immediate ceasefire, Germany’s foreign minister has said, following Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin.
“We have repeatedly made it clear that we expect one thing from Russia – an immediate ceasefire without preconditions,” German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said on the sidelines of a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels.
“It is sobering to see that Russia has not taken this step, and we will have to react. We also expect our US allies not to tolerate this.”
There is a lot of readiness both in the European Union and in the United States to consider more sanctions on Moscow, said Mr Wadephul, but did not share any details what additional sanctions could look like.
Russian strategic bombers intercepted in flight over international waters near Norway
14:32
,
Andy Gregory
Two Russian Tu-95M strategic bombers carried out a scheduled flight over international waters in the Barents Sea, which borders Norway, Moscow’s defence ministry has said.
The planes were escorted by flight planes belonging to an unnamed foreign country for part of the flight, which lasted more than four hours, Russian state news agencies cited the ministry as saying.
EU must start preparing 18th Russian sanctions package today, warns Lithuania
14:13
,
Andy Gregory
The European Union – which has today adopted a 17th package of sanctions against Russia – needs to start working on its 18th package on the same day, Lithuania’s foreign minister Kęstutis Budrys has warned.
The EU’s newly announced 17th package targets nearly 200 ships in Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of vessels accused of helping Moscow to evade sanctions on crude oil.
Europe facing an existential choice, warns Poland’s foreign minister
13:41
,
Andy Gregory
Poland’s foreign minister has warned that Europe is “facing an existential choice” and must be prepared for Donald Trump to wash his hands “not only of Ukraine, but even of Europe”.
Arguing that “the most reasonable and respectable approach is to treat whatever the US president says both literally and seriously”, Radosław Sikorski wrote in an opinion piece for non-profit outlet Project Syndicate: “Given the current state of the world, this implies that Europe faces an existential choice.
“We can enter the global game united, as a heavyweight competitor, or we can condemn ourselves to marginalisation.”
He added: “Deterring Russia is not beyond our means. We don’t need to match US military capabilities; rather, we just need enough to force Putin to reconsider his chances of winning in a confrontation with a united European community of democratic nation-states.”
Trump team is all businessmen, no diplomats, says Ukrainian MP
13:25
,
Alicja Hagopian
Ukrainian politicians criticised the Trump administration’s approach to negotiating a ceasefire, in a meeting today between the UK and Ukrainian foreign affairs committees.
Ukrainian MP Mariya Ionova, member of the committee on Foreign Policy and Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation, said: “In Trump’s team, there are no diplomats. It’s all businessmen. And that’s why we hear ‘deal, deal, deal’. If a democracy is a deal, if territorial integrity is a deal, we will never accept it.”
Ms Ionova also took aim at US special envoy Steve Witkoff for misinformation around Ukraine, questioning why the official had visited Moscow, but never Kyiv.
“Why is he only going to Russia? Let him come to Ukraine, no problem. If he has any questions, we are ready to answer,” she told the committee.
She added: “We are not hiding anything – please go ahead. Meet with the hostages, and they will tell you under what conditions they were [held] in Russian prisons.”
Putin playing Trump like a violin, says former Tory leader
13:10
,
Andy Gregory
Vladimir Putin is playing Donald Trump “like a violin”, a former British foreign secretary and leader of the Conservative Party has warned.
Asked whether he believes Mr Trump could give up on his push for peace, Lord William Hague said: “I think he is very close to that, which is the exact opposite of what a negotiator should do, because in successful peace negotiations you need a powerful peace negotiator to come along and say, ‘I’m not going until you two have agreed’, and then really apply themselves to it and say ‘if this takes months, I’m staying here’.
“This is the opposite. This is: ‘if you don’t agree, I’m off.’ That, of course, is exactly what Putin wants. So Putin is playing him totally ... flattering him, sending him a portrait, having long phone calls with him, saying no doubt how wise he is, and so on – and then doing nothing until he goes away.
“That is the Putin strategy. At the moment it’s working, and it’s astonishing that a president of the United States can fall for that so easily but he is being played like a violin,” Lord Hague – who is now the chancellor of Oxford University – told Times Radio.
“It is alarming to see because it just underlines that there is a serious risk that Ukraine will be almost entirely dependent on support from Europe, including Britain, rather than from the United States.
Russia claims Ukraine must decide if it will discuss peace accord memorandum
12:36
,
Andy Gregory
Following Vladimir Putin’s phone call with Donald Trump, the Russian foreign ministry has claimed that Ukraine must now decide whether or not it will cooperate in discussing a memorandum ahead of a future peace accord that Moscow has proposed.
Despite Mr Trump saying negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow would begin “immediately”, the Kremlin quickly poured cold water on the US president’s optimistic statements, saying “there are no deadlines and there can’t be any”.
And the Kremlin warned earlier that the process for Moscow and Kyiv to develop a unified text of a peace and ceasefire memorandum would be complex. Ukraine has repeatedly called for a ceasefire before proper peace talks can begin.
EU adopts new sanctions against Russia, foreign policy chief says
11:56
,
Andy Gregory
The European Union has adopted new sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, zeroing in on Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers, human rights violations and hybrid threats, the bloc’s foreign policy chief said.
“The EU has approved its 17th sanctions package against Russia, targeting nearly 200 shadow fleet ships,” Kaja Kallas said on social media.
“More sanctions on Russia are in the works. The longer Russia wages war, the tougher our response.”
The UK also announced fresh sanctions targeting Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of tankers which seek to circumvent a G7 price cap on Russian crude oil imposed in response to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The G7 cap was designed to allow Russian oil to be sold to third countries using Western insurance services provided the price was no more than $60 a barrel. The move has started to bite and the EU will push for a lower price cap this week during a meeting of G7 finance ministers in Canada.
What new sanctions has UK announced against Russia?
11:11
,
Andy Gregory
The UK has insisted that its new raft of 100 sanctions will “protect Ukrainian lives, and our collective security by disrupting Russia’s military machine”.
According to the Foreign Office, the new measures sanction the supply chains of deadly Russian weapons systems, including the Iskander missiles used in the Palm Sunday attack on Sumy which killed 34 people.
They also target 46 financial institutions accused of aiding Russian attempts to evade sanctions, as well as the St Petersburg Currency Exchange, and the Russian Deposit Insurance Agency which insures Russian banks. “These new sanctions will further isolate the Russian economy and disrupt Russia’s revenue streams,” the Foreign Office said.
The UK is also sanctioning 18 more ships in the so-called “shadow fleet” carrying Russian oil, along with the fleet’s enablers, the Foreign Office said, in a move which follows 110 shadow fleet-related sanctions previously announced by Sir Keir Starmer ahead of his visit to Kyiv earlier this month.
Britain is also levelling sanctions against 14 further members of Russia’s Social Design Agency across all levels of the organisation, which the Foreign Office accused of carrying out Kremlin-funded information operations “designed to undermine sovereignty, democracy, and the rule of law in Ukraine and across the world”.
UK announces 100 new sanctions against Russia
11:01
,
Andy Gregory
The UK government has announced a new raft of 100 sanctions on targets across Russian military, energy, financial sectors and those conducting Vladimir Putin’s information war against Ukraine.
Announcing the new measures after Russia launched its largest ever drone strike on Ukraine, Britain’s foreign secretary David Lammy said: “Putin’s latest strikes once again show his true colours as a warmonger.
“We urge him to agree a full, unconditional ceasefire right away so there can be talks on a just and lasting peace.
“We have been clear that delaying peace efforts will only redouble our resolve to help Ukraine to defend itself and use our sanctions to restrict Putin’s war machine.”
Zelensky accuses Putin of trying to ‘buy time’ to continue Russia’s war
10:42
,
Andy Gregory
Vladimir Putin is “trying to buy time” to continue his war in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky has warned.
Writing on social media after a phone call with his Finnish counterpart, in which they discussed Donald Trump’s phone call on Monday with Mr Putin, the Ukrainian president said that “diplomacy aimed at peace must be well-coordinated and focused on tangible outcomes”.
Mr Zelensky said: “It is obvious that Russia is trying to buy time in order to continue its war and occupation. We are working with our partners to ensure that pressure forces Russians to change their behavior. Sanctions matter, and I am grateful to everyone making them more biting for those responsible for this war.
“There is no doubt that the war must end at the negotiating table. The proposals on the table must be clear and realistic. Ukraine is ready for any negotiation format that delivers results. And if Russia continues to put forward unrealistic conditions and undermine progress, there must be tough consequences.
“More conversations with our partners are scheduled for today.”
Russian attacks speak louder than Putin’s ‘lip service’ to peace, warn EU ministers
10:12
,
Andy Gregory
German defence minister Boris Pistorius has warned that Russia’s continued attacks on Ukraine – which killed at least one person and injured 13 others overnight – speak louder than Vladimir Putin’s “lip service” to peace.
Speaking ahead of a meeting of EU ministers, Mr Pistorius said: “We have seen massive attacks again in recent days ... These speak louder than the lip service we have heard for so long.
“Putin is clearly playing for time. Unfortunately we have to say Putin is not really interested in peace.”
French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot accused Putin of hypocrisy, and warned that the EU must impose harsher sanctions on Russia.
“I believe that when Vladimir Putin continues to uphold his hypocritical language, everyone has understood that he will carry on with his colonial war to the end if we do not put a stop to it,” said Mr Barrot, adding: “Let us push Vladimir Putin to put an end to his imperialist fantasy by adopting sanctions that are truly dissuasive.”
One person killed and more than a dozen injured in Russian attacks, Ukrainian officials say
09:46
,
Andy Gregory
One person has been killed and six injured by Russian attacks in Donetsk which forced the evacuation of more than 250 people, Ukraine’s regional governor has said.
The fatality came in Siversk, where five houses were damaged, governor Vadym Filashkim said, with injuries also reported in Kramatorsk.
In Kharkiv, two women aged 45 and 73 were wounded in a Russian attack on the village of Starovirvka, the regional governor said, while five further injuries were reported following Russian strikes in Kherson said to have damaged a high-rise building and seven houses.
Russia releases oil tanker from Baltic Sea detention, Estonian broadcaster reports
09:27
,
Andy Gregory
Russia has released a Greek-owned oil tanker which was detained in Russian waters on Sunday, and the vessel has resumed its journey towards the Dutch port of Rotterdam, according to Estonia’s public broadcaster ERR.
The Liberia-flagged Green Admire appeared to be underway in the Baltic Sea on Tuesday with its destination listed as Rotterdam, Reuters reported, citing LSEG ship tracking data.
The vessel was detained after leaving the Sillamae port in Estonia and using a designated navigation channel that crosses Russian territorial waters, the Estonian foreign ministry said on Sunday.
Estonia’s foreign minister has said Russia’s detention of the Green Admire was likely a response to a campaign by the Estonian navy to inspect tankers used to transport millions of barrels of Russian oil through the Baltic Sea.
Nato chief says it is important Trump involves EU and Ukraine in Russia talks
09:13
,
Andy Gregory
While it is “very positive” that the Donald Trump administration is involved in the Ukraine peace effort, it is crucial that Europeans and Ukraine are consulted as well, Nato chief Mark Rutte has warned.
The head of the Western military alliance made his remarks ahead of a meeting with European ministers in Brussels.
Watch: Trump says ‘progress has been made’ in phone call with Putin
08:58
,
Andy Gregory
Russia is only playing for time in talks on Ukraine peace, Germany says
08:44
,
Andy Gregory
Vladimir Putin is not really interested in peace in Ukraine and is only playing for time in talks with the US, Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius has warned.
Speaking ahead of a meeting with EU defence ministers in Brussels, Mr Pistorius insisted that Europe needs to increase the pressure on Russia by imposing more sanctions, especially on Russia’s energy sales.
Ukraine says it intercepted 93 of 108 drones fired by Russia in overnight attack
08:30
,
Andy Gregory
Ukraine says it has successfully defended against 93 of the 108 Shahed and decoy drones fired overnight by Russia.
Of the 93 drones which were intercepted, 35 were shot down, while 58 were either lost or suppressed using electronic warfare, Ukraine’s air force said.
Casualties were reported in the regions of Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson, while the air force said infrastructure was damaged in Sumy. It also reported further impacts in Dnipropetrovsk and Zhytomyr.
Russia suffers more than 1,000 further casualties, Ukraine claims in daily update
08:21
,
Andy Gregory
Ukraine claims to have inflicted a further 1,030 casualties upon Russia in the past 24 hours of fighting, as another day of intense clashes were reported along the front line.
The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said there had been 177 combat clashes reported along the frontline as of 8am on Tuesday, with Russia launching 59 airstrikes, deploying nearly 3,000 kamikaze drones and firing more than 5,300 artillery shells.
Once again, the heaviest fighting came in the direction of Pokrovsk, with Ukraine claiming to have stopped 72 Russian assaults in areas close to the Donetsk city, which for months has been central in Vladimir Putin’s sights.
Kremlin says no deadline can be set for Ukraine memorandum
07:45
,
Arpan Rai
There is no fixed deadline for a memorandum aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
The process for Moscow and Kyiv to develop a unified text of a peace and ceasefire memorandum will be complex, Mr Peskov said in remarks published early this morning.
The remarks from Kremlin show first signs of reluctance in peace talks from Russia after the US president Donald Trump spoke to his Russian counterpart on a lengthy phone call yesterday.
"There are no deadlines and there cannot be any. It is clear that everyone wants to do this as quickly as possible, but, of course, the devil is in the details," RIA state news agency quoted Mr Peskov as telling reporters.
"The drafts will be formulated by both the Russian and Ukrainian sides, these draft documents will be exchanged, and then – complex contacts to develop a single text," the Kremlin spokesperson said.
Zelensky says it is 'crucial' Trump does not pull out from peace talks
07:08
,
Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has emphasised on Donald Trump’s role in mediating the war in Ukraine after he spoke to the US president yesterday.
After speaking with Mr Trump, Mr Zelensky said Kyiv and its partners might seek a high-level meeting among Ukraine, Russia, the United States, European Union countries and Britain as part of a push to end the war.
“It is crucial for all of us that the United States does not distance itself from the talks and the pursuit of peace, because the only one who benefits from that is Putin. I thank everyone who supports this approach,” he said on X in a post.
He added: “If Russia refuses to stop the killings, refuses to release prisoners of war and hostages, if Putin puts forward unrealistic demands, this will mean that Russia continues to drag out the war, and deserves that Europe, America, and the world act accordingly, including with further sanctions.”
I spoke with @POTUS twice today. First, we had a one-on-one call before his conversation with the head of Russia, and later we spoke together with President Trump and European leaders President @EmmanuelMacron, Prime Minister @GiorgiaMeloni, Federal Chancellor @bundeskanzler,… pic.twitter.com/mm6a0Pro84
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 19, 2025
Donald Trump says he has a red line on brokering Ukraine-Russia war
07:01
,
Arpan Rai
Donald Trump has warned that he can still end the US-led peace efforts in the Ukraine-Russia war after he spoke to Vladimir Putin.
Mr Trump said there were "some big egos involved." Without progress, "I'm just going to back away," he said, repeating a warning that he could abandon the process. "This is not my war."
“... (I) have a red line in my head on when I’ll stop pushing on Russia-Ukraine,” he said.
Putin and Trump discuss new prisoner swap
07:00
,
Arpan Rai
The Kremlin has said Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump discussed a new prisoner swap during their 2-hour phone call yesterday.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the two countries were working out details of an exchange of prisoners jailed in Russia and the United States involving nine people on each side, although he did not say when it might take place.
Mr Trump and Mr Putin are both in favour of meeting in person and will assign their teams to work on preparing a meeting, the Kremlin official said, but no venue has been agreed.
Trump says it would be 'great' to have Russia-Ukraine talks at the Vatican
06:41
,
Arpan Rai
Donald Trump has said "it would be great" for Russia and Ukraine to hold ceasefire talks at the Vatican, saying it would add extra significance to the proceedings.
“The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!” the US president said.
The Vatican has not issued a comment on Mr Trump’s remarks yet.
Volodymyr Zelensky, who has already met Pope Leo XIV twice now and spoken to him on the phone, welcomed the Vatican as a possible venue to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
"Ukraine is ready for direct negotiations with Russia in any format that brings results," Mr Zelensky said on X. He said that this could be hosted by Turkey, the Vatican or Switzerland.
The Vatican has a tradition of diplomatic neutrality and has long offered its services, and venues, to try to help facilitate talks.
World leaders welcome Pope's offer to host Russia-Ukraine talks
06:30
,
Arpan Rai
European and US leaders have welcomed Pope Leo XIV's offer to host Russia-Ukraine talks at the Vatican,
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said on Monday that European leaders, including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz, spoke to US president Donald Trump after he had a call with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
"Work is underway to immediately start negotiations between the parties that can lead to a ceasefire as soon as possible and build the conditions for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine," Meloni's office said in a statement.
"In this regard, the Holy Father's willingness to host the talks at the Vatican was considered positive. Italy is ready to do its part to facilitate contacts and work for peace," the statement added.
Trump and Putin spoke on first-name basis, Kremlin says
06:15
,
Arpan Rai
The Kremlin has described more details about Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s phone call from yesterday.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov stressed the warm nature of the conversation, saying the two men addressed each other by their first names and Mr Putin congratulated the US president on the birth of his latest grandson.
"Trump said: Vladimir, you can pick up the phone at any time, I will be happy to answer, I will be happy to talk to you," Mr Ushakov said.
Watch: Zelensky makes pledge after Putin and Trump hold two-hour ceasefire call
06:00
,
Arpan Rai
Recap: Putin and Trump discuss peace and trade in two hour phone call
05:32
,
Arpan Rai
On Monday, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin sat down and spoke for two hours over the phone.
Both leaders said the call was a success, with Putin agreeing to work towards a peace deal with Ukraine.
Here is an overview of the call:
- The call began at around 3:30pm UK time, and lasted for two hours.
- The pair spoke over an encrypted line, Putin from Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi and Trump in Washington.
- Putin said the call was “very informative and helpful”.
- Moscow said it was ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum about future peace talks, as Trump said negotiations will now begin “immediately”.
- Trump said the call went “very well” and spoke to several world leaders Volodymyr Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni after he spoke with Putin.
- He also said that ceasefire negotiations could be held by the Vatican.
- They are said to have addressed each other by their first names, and Putin congratulated Trump on the birth of his latest grandson, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said.
- The pair also discussed a potential US-Russia trade deal, which Trump said was a possibility once the war was over.
- They also discussed a potential new prisoner swap during the call, as Ushakov said the two countries were working out details of an exchange involving nine people on each side.
- After the call, Zelensky said it was possible that leaders from Ukraine, Russia, US, EU and UK leaders could meet.
Vance says Putin 'doesn't quite know how to get out of the war'
05:30
,
Arpan Rai
Shortly before Donald Trump called Russian president Vladimir Putin, US vice president JD Vance told reporters that Washington recognised there was "a bit of an impasse here".
"And I think the president's going to say to president Putin: 'Look, are you serious? Are you real about this?'" Mr Vance said as he prepared to depart from a visit to Italy.
"I think honestly that president Putin, he doesn't quite know how to get out of the war," Mr Vance said.
He said it "takes two to tango. I know the president's willing to do that, but if Russia is not willing to do that, then we're eventually just going to say, 'This is not our war.'"
"We're going to try to end it, but if we can't end it, we're eventually going to say: 'You know what? That was worth a try, but we're not doing any more.'"
Everything Trump has said about his phone call with Putin
05:22
,
Arpan Rai
Donald Trump has said Russia and Ukraine “will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War” after he spoke to Russian president Vladimir Putin yesterday.
Mr Trump spoke to his Russian counterpart in a two-hour long call where the two discussed expanding trade once the Ukraine war is over.
Here’s everything Mr Trump has said after the call:
On fresh sanctions to push Moscow into a peace deal:
"Well because I think there's a chance of getting something done, and if you do that, you can also make it much worse. But there could be a time where that's going to happen.”
On ending US-led peace efforts:
Mr Trump said there were "some big egos involved." Without progress, "I'm just going to back away," he said, repeating a warning that he could abandon the process. "This is not my war."
“... (I) have a red line in my head on when I’ll stop pushing on Russia-Ukraine,” he said.
On peace talks at the Vatican:
Mr Trump said the Vatican, "as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!"
Putin is again pulling the strings over Ukraine - these peace talks will lead nowhere
05:14
,
Arpan Rai
Vladimir Putin was quick on the draw with an announcement that said nothing after his two-hour phone call with Donald Trump, as the Russian president grabbed the narrative before the Oval Office had figured out what the story even was.
Donald Trump claims his two-hour phone call with Vladimir Putin went ‘very well’, but it is the Russian president who calls the shots, writes Sam Kiley, The Independent’s world affairs editor:
Putin and Trump discussed 'impressive' prospects for US-Russia ties, Kremlin says
04:40
,
Arpan Rai
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump discussed the "impressive" prospects for improving ties between their two countries in a phone call on Monday, the Kremlin has said.
Mr Putin's foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that the two leaders had not discussed a timeline for a ceasefire in Ukraine, but that Trump had stressed his interest in reaching agreements quickly.
"The presidents also spoke in some detail about the future of our relations, and President Trump, I can say, spoke quite emotionally about the prospects for these relations," Ushakov said.
"He specifically emphasised that the prospects for bilateral relations after the Ukrainian conflict is resolved look impressive, and that as the president of the United States, he sees Russia as one of America's most important partners in trade and economic matters."
