'Putin wants to meet, we're arranging meeting': Trump
What's the story
United States President-elect Donald Trump has announced that a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is in the works.
The revelation came during a meeting with Republican governors at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
"He wants to meet, and we are setting it up," Trump said.
The meeting is likely to happen after Trump's inauguration on January 20.
Conflict resolution
Trump's stance on Russia-Ukraine conflict
The announcement comes amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, which Trump described as "a bloody mess."
The war started in February 2022 and has now continued for nearly 34 months.
During his campaign, Trump promised to quickly end this conflict but later admitted that the process could take longer than expected.
Peace prospects
Potential peace deal raises concerns in Kyiv
Trump's advisors have suggested solutions that could require ceding large parts of Ukraine to Russia.
This has raised concerns in Kyiv about what such a peace deal could mean for Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Putin's willingness to engage with Trump but clarified no formal requests have been made yet.
"It would be more appropriate to wait for Trump to take office first," Peskov added.
Aid ambiguity
Uncertainty over US aid to Ukraine under Trump
Since the invasion, the US under President Joe Biden has given over $175 billion in aid to Ukraine, including over $60 billion in security assistance.
It is unclear if this support will continue under Trump.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had said he hoped Trump could play a decisive role in ending the war.
"He's very strong and unpredictable, and I would really like to see...Trump's unpredictability apply to Russia. I believe he really wants to end the war," Zelensky said.