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.

President-elect Trump said late Thursday that a meeting is in the works with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. Why it matters: Trump said on the campaign trail that he would swiftly end the nearly three-year-old war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office.

The president-elect had said the Russian leader wanted to meet him to discuss the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin stopped short of that, saying it could only happen after he takes office.

President-elect Donald Trump said late Thursday he is ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that the meeting is currently being arranged, though he gave no timeline for when it might take place.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed what he said was Donald Trump’s “readiness to solve problems through dialogue.” The last U.S.-Russian summit was in 2021.

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The Kremlin said Friday that President Vladimir Putin was open to talks with Donald Trump, after the incoming US president said a meeting between the pair was being set up.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan June 28, 2019. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.

The comments by Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, came after Trump answered questions about a possible meeting with Putin by saying “we’re setting it up”, while adding he would prefer to wait until after his inauguration on January 20.