Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at a bilateral meeting in Japan in 2019. (Reuters: Kevin Lamarque)
In short:
Donald Trump has said he wants to meet with Vladimir Putin "soon" so talks can begin on ending Russia's war in Ukraine.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the US president appeared to directly blame Mr Putin for the war continuing and said he hoped China's Xi Jinping could play a role in helping to end the conflict.
What's next?
The Kremlin has said Moscow is open to a "mutually respectful dialogue" but Russian politicians and nationalists reacted angrily to Mr Trump's threat of new tariffs, sanctions and taxes.
Donald Trump has said he wants to start talks "soon" with Vladimir Putin to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, as he blamed the Russian president for the war continuing.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, via video link, Mr Trump said US efforts to secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine were hopefully underway.
"I really would like to be able to meet with President Putin soon to get that war ended," he said.
"And that's not from the standpoint of economy or anything else. It's from the standpoint of millions of lives are being wasted … It's a carnage. And we really have to stop that war."
Asked whether he believed the war would still be ongoing when the forum gathered again next year, he appeared to directly challenge Mr Putin.
He said: "Well, you're going to have to ask Russia. Ukraine is ready to make a deal."
Mr Trump spoke to the Chinese President earlier this week on the phone and told him to help broker a settlement. He did not offer more detail, however.
He added of the conflict: "That is an absolute killing field, it's time to end it."
'Respectful dialogue'
Russia is ready for a "mutually respectful dialogue" on ending the war, the Kremlin has said.
It came after Mr Trump issued Moscow with an ultimatum, telling Mr Putin he must end his "ridiculous war" or Russia would face new tariffs, taxes and sanctions.
The US president used a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, local time, to warn Mr Putin: "We can do it the easy way, or the hard way – and the easy way is always better."
Russian politicians and nationalists reacted angrily to the hardline intervention, however, calling it "disrespectful" and "insulting".
The two leaders have yet to speak by phone since Mr Trump re-entered the White House.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. (Reuters: Maxim Shemetov)
Notably, the Kremlin chose to play down the threat, saying it "did not see any particularly new elements here".
"We carefully record all the nuances. We remain ready for dialogue. President Putin has repeatedly spoken about this — for equal dialogue, for mutually respectful dialogue," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
But commentators in Russia hit back at what they cast as Mr Trump's heavy-handed attitude, saying it made a settlement less likely.
Konstantin Kosachyov, deputy chairman of Russia's upper house of parliament, noted that Mr Trump had not made any demands on Ukraine in the post.
"It confirms that his level of understanding of the causes, current state and prospects for resolving the Ukrainian crisis is approximately at the same level as his understanding of the course and outcome of World War Two," Kosachyov said in a statement.
"That is to say, lower than the skirting board, which cannot but be a cause for regret and concern."
'Insulting'
Influential war bloggers, read by millions of Russians and licensed by the authorities, expressed outrage.
One of them, Voenkor Kotonok, said Mr Trump's statement was "insulting, arrogant and self-satisfied." Another, war correspondent Alexander Kots, speculated that the Middle East ceasefire had given Mr Trump a misplaced sense of omnipotence.
"Russia is not the Gaza Strip. And starting a dialogue with ultimatums is not the most far-sighted move on the part of a leader claiming to be a peacemaker. Moscow will never agree to any deals dictated by blackmail and threats," Mr Kots wrote.
Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, said Mr Trump's actions so far suggested he would not be able to bring peace to Ukraine, while Vladimir Solovyov, a high-profile state media talk show host, said Mr Trump's threats proved he was an enemy.
"Is that any way to talk to great Russia?," an angry Mr Solovyov told his listeners.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week that any peace deal would require at least 200,000 peacekeepers
Reuters
