Trump withdraws from peace talks between Russia and Ukraine at the moment, sources say

The next phase, according to Trump to end the war in Ukraine, remains a bilateral meeting between Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, and Volodyr Zelensky, Ukrainian president, officials have said.

Trump has told advisers in recent days that it aims to organise a trilateral meeting with the two leaders only after they have met before, though if this initial meeting remains unclear and Trump has no intention of involvement in the effort.

In a telephone interview with Tall show host Mark Levin at ABC on Tuesday, Trump also said he thought it would be best for Putin and Zelensky to meet without him in the first place.

I just want to see what happens at the meeting. So they're in the process of preparing him and we'll see what happens”, Trump said.

Trump's reluctance to promote Putin and Zelensky at a meeting comes after he has acknowledged in recent days that the war in Ukraine has been more difficult than he anticipated, as he had said during the election campaign last year that he could achieve it within 24 hours.

A senior administration official has characterised the situation as a <x0 access and vision” from Trump to determine whether a Putin-Zelensky meeting could be set. But there have been few tangible signs in the last days of progress, and the White House does not have a short list of places where the meeting can be held. /Periscope/