US President Donald Trump said on Monday that "a lot of progress" has been made in terms of ending the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
"We've made a lot of progress on Russia, Ukraine; we'll see what happens. But a lot of progress has been made. We've got to stop that ridiculous war," Trump told reporters.
Earlier in the day, Trump announced plans to hold "meetings and talks" with Russia and Ukraine.
"We've had a very busy weekend. We're dealing with Israel, we're dealing with Ukraine and Russia. We have meetings and talks scheduled with various parties, including Ukraine and Russia," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews on his way to the White House.
According to Trump, the "discussions are actually going pretty well."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, commenting on the US president's statements about plans to hold contacts with Russia and Ukraine, that, apparently, contacts are planned, but there is nothing new yet.
"He did not say that; he said it differently. If you look at his statements, apparently contacts are being planned. We also have a planning process, so we have nothing new to say yet," Peskov told reporters.
Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, is expected to arrive in Ukraine in mid-February for a meeting with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian news website New Voice (NV) reported on Monday, citing sources.
After the meeting with Zelensky, Kellogg will travel to Europe for talks, where he is scheduled to participate in the Munich Security Conference, the news website added.