The White House is claiming plans are well underway for a meeting between Russia's President Vladimir Putin's and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

US President Donald Trump met with Zelenskyy and several foreign leaders earlier in the week, following his meeting with Putin in Alaska. 

Trump says he hopes Putin will move forward on ending the war in Ukraine but admits the Kremlin leader may not want to make a deal at all. 

Former US Correspondent Nick Bryant told Mike Hosking that this presumably will end with Trump issuing an ultimatum to Putin, but the crunch moment never seems to come. 

Before the talks in Alaska, Trump said if a ceasefire is not reached, there would be serious consequences and sanctions on Russia, but in the aftermath of the talks, Trump appears to have backed down. 

Bryant says that Trump seems to be influenced by the last person he speaks to and lacks a coherent strategy, so it’s hard to see how this will end.  

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