US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, that he did not set a deadline for a ceasefire in Ukraine in a conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“There was no deadline. But I think we'll have a ceasefire soon,“ Trump said.
He said peace talks with Russia and Ukraine were progressing and that he had several “good conversations“ on the issue on Friday, March 21.
“We're moving forward on Russia and Ukraine. "I had some good conversations today," Trump said, without elaborating.
He dismissed claims that Russia had essentially rejected U.S. proposals for a ceasefire in Ukraine and made it clear that it was too early to raise the issue of a possible tightening of Washington's sanctions on Moscow.
"He hasn't rejected anything. They have a lot of sanctions against them - more than almost anyone else," Trump added.
The consultations between Russian and American experts will be held in Riyadh on March 24. The Russian delegation will be led by the chairman of the Federation Council's international relations committee, Grigory Karasin, and the adviser to the FSB director, Sergei Beseda. The discussion is expected to touch on the Black Sea Initiative.