A top Russian official told NBC News that there was no meeting planned between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, dealing a blow to President Trump’s efforts to mediate an end to the war between the two countries.

Volodymyr Zelensky urges Western allies to impose fresh sanctions on Moscow if it shows no interest in peace.

Doing so would require the Russian leader to “accept the failure of sitting down with a president he considers a joke from a country that doesn’t exist”