WASHINGTON: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday a meeting was being set up between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin, but the Republican offered no timeline for talks between the two leaders.

Why it’s important

Trump’s return to the White House on Jan. 20 has sparked hope of a diplomatic resolution to end Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine that began in Feb. 2022, but it has also led to fears in Kyiv that a quick peace deal could come at a high price for Ukraine.

Advisers to Trump have floated proposals to end the war that would effectively cede large parts of the country to Russia for the foreseeable future.

Key quotes

“He wants to meet, and we are setting it up,” Trump said in remarks before a meeting with Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.“President Putin wants to meet.

He has said that even publicly and we have to get that war over with.

That’s a bloody mess,“ Trump said about the Russia-Ukraine war.