The Kremlin for its part has stayed evasive. Putin on Monday told Trump he was "open" to the idea of direct talks with Ukraine, but by the next day foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had watered down that already vague commitment.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he has called Russian President Vladimir Putin and begun to arrange a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a critical step toward bringing a possible end to Russia's war on Ukraine.

President Donald Trump said he’s begun arrangements for a face-to-face meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss a pathway to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.