The Trump administration says it will soon be clear if Russia's Vladimir Putin really wants a peace deal in Ukraine, as France and Britain accuse him of playing for time.

A Russian drone attack Thursday on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, killed five civilians and dramatized the diplomatic insistence on a ceasefire.

The U.S. visit is the first by a senior Kremlin official since Russia’s 2022 Ukraine invasion.

Will they not be satisfied till the U.S. is reviled around the globe and hit with as many sanctions as Russia?

Britain and France have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet over Ukraine ceasefire talks and ramped up pressure on Moscow by insisting that he owes the United States an immediate answer.

The Kremlin said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump have no plans to talk by phone again following a visit to Washington by Putin's investment envoy. NBC News reported on Thursday that Trump's inner circle is advising him not to speak to Putin again until the Russian leader commits to a full ceasefire in Ukraine,

Donald Trump wants to call Vladimir Putin "before or shortly after the weekend," reports Politico. However, it is uncertain whether the talks will take place, as the U.S. president's advisers are discouraging him from doing so.

Donald Trump wants to call Vladimir Putin "before or shortly after the weekend," reports Politico. However, it's unknown whether the talks will take place, as the U.S. president's entourage is discouraging him from doing so.