US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Photo: chinadailyasia.com/VNA)

On Thursday, in a post on the Truth Social, Trump highlighted that the parties are "very close to an agreement" and expressed his desire to help Ukraine and Russia escape from the current mess.

On the same day, speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said that negotiating with Kyiv is more difficult than negotiating with Moscow. Neither Russia nor Ukraine have made official comments on Trump's statements.