Donald Trump has said that a meeting is being set up between him and Vladimir Putin to end the “bloody mess” of the war in Ukraine.

Donald Trump said talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin were in the works and while the president-elect provided no timeline, he stressed that his preference would be for after his Jan. 20 inauguration.

President-elect Donald Trump said he is planning a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he wants to end the "bloody mess" of the Ukraine war.

Ukraine expects high-level contact with the new U.S. administration immediately after Donald Trump takes office, including an eventual meeting between the U.S. president-elect and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy,

The president-elect had said Russia’s leader wanted to meet him to discuss the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin said it welcomed such dialogue, but a meeting could occur only after Mr. Trump took office.

Donald Trump said that as president he would be able to resolve the Ukraine war in one day, speaking at a Republican presidential town hall Wednesday hosted by CNN. Photo: CNN

Representatives of US President-elect Donald Trump have acknowledged in discussions with European partners that they will not be able to end the war in Ukraine swiftly but have promised to continue supporting the country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to meet President-elect Trump without conditions, the Kremlin said on Friday, but is waiting for more specifics following the U.S. presidential inauguration.