On a call Monday, President Trump told European leaders that Russian President Vladimir Putin isn’t ready to end the Ukraine war because he thinks he is winning, according to three people familiar with the conversation.

The president announced that “Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War.”

Trump has made no effort to use his leverage to force Putin into a deal, and the Russian leader has "no desire" to see war end, says former V.P. Dan Quayle.

Russia will not accept an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on May 21, arguing that core issues behind the war must be dealt with before halting hostilities. Lavrov’s statement comes just days after a phone call on May 19 between U.

EU urges Trump to hit Moscow with sanctions after threats to drop Putin peace talks - US president claims progress made in his two-hour call with Putin, but repeats his threats to abandon efforts at b

U.S. President Donald Trump’s phone calls with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine have deepened expectations that progress might soon be made on ending those countries’ more than three-year war.

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia said on Thursday it had shot down 105 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, including dozens heading towards Moscow, as the war in Ukraine heats up even as major powers talk about ways to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two.

It follows Donald Trump saying Russia and Ukraine will "immediately" start negotiating, after a two-hour phone call with Vladimir Putin.