The Kremlin ruled out a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before achieving major progress on a peace deal, raising doubt on ending the war before President Trump’s proposed 50-day deadline.

The Kremlin said on Friday that a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could only happen as a final step to seal a peace deal. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that it was unlikely that such a meeting could occur by the end of August, as Ukraine has proposed.

Earlier this week, Mr Zelensky said negotiation to bring an end to the conflict “probably begins with a meeting of leaders. It won’t work any other way with them”. It is thought that Putin is holding out on any settlement while his armed forces are on the ascendency on the battlefield in Ukraine.