That will take some doing. Putin remains uninterested in peace talks as long as Russian troops continue to gain ground in Ukraine’s east, albeit at a slow pace, and while Ukrainian forces hold seized territory in the Kursk region inside Russia, according to John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, and other former officials.

The Kremlin said on Friday there had been a lot of inaccurate reports on U.S. plans for ending the Ukraine war and called for patience as speculation swirled around the timing of a possible meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.

Donald Trump stated on Friday that he would "probably" meet with President Zelensky of Ukraine next week. The meeting is expected to address topics such as rare earth metals, which Ukraine has promised in exchange for additional military assistance and efforts to end the conflict.