Vladimir Putin is “trying to buy time” to continue his war in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky has warned, after Donald Trump insisted progress had been made after his two-hour call with the Russian president.

Russian officials have already been preparing for Putin to reject the meeting, with Moscow claiming a sit-down with Zelensky would only amount to “pure spectacle.”

In a dramatic twist following a 2-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "not easy to deal with",