Donald Trump has said a meeting is to be held between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky 'very soon' in efforts to end the war.
The announcement came amid intensified diplomatic efforts by Trump's administration to end the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its fifth year.
'I think with Russia, we are making a lot of progress with Russia and Ukraine,' the US President told reporters as he disembarked from Air Force One after visiting a midterm campaign rally in Texas.
'There will be a meeting set up very soon and think a lot of progress could be made. It will be with President Putin and President Zelensky.'
It comes after Mr Zelensky said on Sunday that a trilateral meeting between Kyiv, Washington and Moscow would take place in November.
'We are ready to talk. If it is a question of territory, it must be addressed at the leadership level,' the Ukrainian president told local news.
'Other issues fall under the purview of technical groups. All of this can therefore be discussed in November.'
The Kremlin had said days before that a meeting between the three countries had been planned to take place in the United Arab Emirates that same month.
President Donald Trump spoke with reporters before boarding Air Force One on Sunday
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike in a residential area in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday
Ukrainian rescuers tackled the blaze after a Russian strike in a residential area in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday
Russia's readiness to resume the talks, which have been at a standstill since the beginning of the year, followed a meeting last week in Saint Petersburg between Mr Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The announcement came after Mr Witkoff met with Mr Zelensky and European leaders in Oslo last Tuesday before meeting with Mr Putin the day after.
Following the meetings, both Kyiv and Moscow voiced their willingness to resume direct talks mediated by Washington.
Mr Putin, who ordered the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, has previously consistently rejected face-to-face talks with Mr Zelensky and insisted Moscow intends to seize the rest of eastern Ukraine.
But last week he suggested talks could take place 'around November 10', while Mr Zelensky called for the discussions to take place 'as soon as possible'.
In a televised interview aired late Thursday, the Russian President meanwhile said that any trilateral talks would focus on the security arrangements of a final peace deal and not a 'short' truce.
It comes as the US's relationship with Russia appears to strengthen – and follows Mr Trump taking over the US presidency in January 2025 with the promise to end the war in 24 hours.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation yesterday and announced Ukrainian forces had recaptured significant territory in three major offensive operations this year
Russian President Vladimir Putin shook hands with US special envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting at the Constantine Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia, last week
A resident stands next to an apartment building which burns after it was damaged by a Russian military strike in the frontline city of Kramatorsk, on Tuesday
Should world leaders compromise on territory to finally end the Ukraine war?
But the years of attempted US-led talks have failed to stop the conflict, with repeated stalled peace talks and futile ceasefires.
In recent days, Mr Trump has once again pivoted away from Ukraine and back to Mr Putin, citing what he said was a deal for Russia to sell diesel.
And what he claimed were efforts to reduce oil prices, which have surged since the US launched strikes on Iran in February, sparking conflict that continues today.
Mr Trump's claim comes after Mr Zelensky announced yesterday that Ukrainian forces had recaptured significant territory in three major offensive operations this year.
In his evening address, the Ukrainian President said more than 800 square kilometres (309 square miles) had been liberated as part of an Air Assault Forces campaign.
This included Operation Vivaldi in Donetsk region, where Ukrainian troops reported recapturing 277 square kilometres (107 square miles), and Operation Veles near Kupiansk, where Ukrainian forces utilised underground gas pipelines.
'It is important to note that this year, Ukraine's positions on the front line remain the strongest they have been in a long time during this war,' Mr Zelensky said.
The campaign liberated 26 settlements spanning across three regions – Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk - which Russia illegally annexed - and Zaporizhzhia.
According to Mr Zelensky, Ukraine's Defense Forces liberated more than 200km (124 miles) under Operation Vivaldi – and reclaimed the area near Lyman that Russia had concentrated its assaults.
The offensive, 3rd Corps commander Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky said, had pushed Russians back from the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk highway, a key supply route for both cities.
In an interview with ArmyInform this month, Mr Biletsky, who is also commander of Ukraine’s Center Grouping of Forces, said Operation Vivaldi had disrupted Russia’s broader plan to encircle the strategically important cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
He reported more than 8,000 Russian losses and captured around 270 soldiers.
But added the operation's biggest achievement was the disruption caused to Russia's strategic plans to capture the remaining Ukrainian-held strongholds in the Donetsk region.
READ MORE: Russia announces trilateral peace talks with US and Ukraine to be held in November