Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the idea of "raising the level of representatives" at Ukraine talks in a 40-minute call following the U.S. leader's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy,

But, given the pushback he got from the Kremlin, Trump did not have room to promise much more. Last week, after his summit with Putin in Alaska, he had already set aside his main source of leverage over the Russians—the threat of sanctions and tariffs that could weaken Putin’s economy. “We don’t have to think about that right now,” Trump remarked.

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky were seen laughing together in the White House as the US president promised new talks on peace in Ukraine - though some nations are still demanding a ceasefire