'It's up to Putin': Trump says about Russia-Ukraine ceasefire

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump said Thursday a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine is "up to" Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"It's going to be up to him," Trump told reporters when asked if his deadline still stands for Putin to agree to a ceasefire.

"We're going to see what he has to say. It's going to be up to him. Very disappointed," Trump added.

When asked does Putin have to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to have a meeting with Trump, the president said: "No."

"They would like to meet with me, and I'll do whatever I can to stop the killing," he said.

Putin described the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as “one of the suitable” venues on Thursday for a meeting with Trump.

“We have many friends who are ready to help us organize events of this kind. One of our friends is the president of the United Arab Emirates,” Putin told reporters at the Kremlin.

“I think we will decide, but this would be one of the suitable, quite suitable locations,” said Putin, expressing that Moscow and Washington have shown an interest in a meeting.

With regard to a trilateral meeting that could include Zelenskyy, Putin said he has nothing against that meeting, but reaffirmed the need to create the necessary conditions for the talks.