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.

President Donald Trump said he would be calling Russian President Vladimir Putin after hosting the president of Ukraine at the White House. Trump sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Monday before also meeting with other European leaders hastily gathered in Washington.

Trump said he and the Russian leader spoke last week about what they see as the problems with mail-in voting. Since then, Trump has pushed again for the U.S. to end the practice.

Melania Trump took the unique step of crafting a letter calling for peace in Ukraine, having her husband Donald Trump deliver it to Vladimir Putin.

In a shift, Trump now aligns more closely with Putin than allies in Europe in calling for final talks before a ceasefire

"They are ‘STUPID’ people, with no common sense, intelligence, or understanding," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon doubled down on his stance that President Donald Trump needs to support Ukraine and denounced the terms for peace Russia has presented.

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin agreed at their summit in Alaska last week that the US would be able to offer Ukraine security guarantees, according to Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy.