President-elect Trump said late Thursday that a meeting is in the works with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. Why it matters: Trump said on the campaign trail that he would swiftly end the nearly three-year-old war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office.

Ukraine expects high-level contact with the new U.S. administration immediately after Donald Trump takes office, including an eventual meeting between the U.S. president-elect and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy,

The Kremlin has been discussing Donald Trump's claims that a meeting between him and Vladimir Putin is being set up. Meanwhile, Russian elites are concerned with Vladimir Putin's efforts to wage a full-scale war in Ukraine.

Donald Trump said that as president he would be able to resolve the Ukraine war in one day, speaking at a Republican presidential town hall Wednesday hosted by CNN. Photo: CNN

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed what he said was Donald Trump’s “readiness to solve problems through dialogue.” The last U.S.-Russian summit was in 2021.

President-elect Donald Trump said he is planning a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he wants to end the "bloody mess" of the Ukraine war.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned that ceasing military support now “will only invite more aggression, chaos and war.”

Donald Trump said on Jan. 9 that Vladimir Putin wants to meet with him, and that preparations for a meeting are underway.

Ukraine wants a just end to the war and supports Trump’s determination to stop Russian aggression. “Donald Trump has previously spoken about plans for such a meeting (with Putin), so we see nothing new in this.