Russian President Vladimir Putin has dashed Donald Trump's hopes for a quick end to the war in Ukraine, The Telegraph reports.
The US president's administration continues to believe that talks with Moscow will lead to a result and a ceasefire by Easter, but the Kremlin is not so optimistic and continues to say “no” to US proposals.
Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said the US was "optimistic" that Monday's summit in Saudi Arabia would pave the way for a "comprehensive" ceasefire to end the three-year war. The Kremlin, however, said the talks were at an early stage and that "difficult negotiations" lay ahead.
The White House had previously said it wanted a ceasefire by Easter. At the same time, Ukraine and Europe have expressed concern that Russia was deliberately dragging out the talks to buy time on the battlefield, which is likely to disappoint Trump, who has promised a quick end to the war.
According to sources, Trump is increasingly angry about the continued missile and drone attacks that have occurred despite promises from both sides for a limited ceasefire. But others close to the US president say the situation in the White House remains calm and that there is a need to "trust the process" - despite ongoing attacks on energy infrastructure.
US and Ukrainian teams of negotiators met in Saudi Arabia last night for a second round of talks aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine at a time when Kiev's trust in Washington has again been called into question by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
The US plan for a full ceasefire has not been supported by Putin, who told Trump in a phone call last Tuesday that he was prepared to refrain from strikes only on Ukrainian energy infrastructure for 30 days.