U.S. President Donald Trump says he has called Russian President Vladimir Putin and begun to arrange a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a critical step toward bringing a possible end to Russia's war on Ukraine.

In a reversal only few hours after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said an overall peace agreement, and not a ceasefire, was the best way to end the war. That statement echoed Putin’s view that Russia is not interested in a temporary truce, and instead is seeking a long-term settlement that takes Moscow’s interests into account.

U.S. President Donald Trump told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday that the United States would help guarantee Ukraine's security in any deal to end Russia's war there, though the extent of any assistance was not immediately clear.

President Trump and European leaders met for a one-of-a-kind summit at the White House on Monday to push toward a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. But by the end of a marathon day of meetings, details on what such an agreement might entail remained elusive.

President Donald Trump welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House for a high-stakes meeting as the U.S. president pushed for a deal to end Moscow's war on its neighbor. A host of European leaders joined the pair.

Ukraine will promise to buy $100bn of American weapons financed by Europe as part of a deal to obtain US guarantees for its security after a peace settlement with Russia, according to a document seen by the Financial Times.