The Trump administration "is making quite an energetic and sincere effort, in my opinion, to stop hostilities, to stop the crisis and to reach an agreement that is of interest to all those involved in this conflict," Putin said during a meeting of his top officials to prepare for the Alaska summit, according to a readout published by the Kremlin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the United States is taking action to stop the war in Ukraine, in a meeting with Russian top officials ahead of Friday’s summit in Alaska with US President Donald Trump.

Former U.S. ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker joins 'America's Newsroom' to discuss the latest on President Donald Trump's effort to end the war in Ukraine ahead of his summit with Putin.