Built in tsarist times to show off the glory of the Russian empire, the hall was the setting for Mr Putin’s account of his achievements during the visit to Alaska, a former imperial possession. He praised Mr Trump’s “sincerity” and efforts to end the war.

Trump didn't rule out the possibility of American troops' helping to guarantee peace between Ukraine and Russia should the leaders reach an agreement.

The remarks were a considerable shift for France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, who called Moscow a potential threat for many European countries.

The British government said on Tuesday European leaders were weighing additional sanctions to ramp up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of a broader push to put an end to the war in Ukraine.

After a meeting at the White House on Monday, the French president said that if there is no progress in talks, Russia should be hit with more sanctions.

Melania Trump took the unique step of crafting a letter calling for peace in Ukraine, having her husband Donald Trump deliver it to Vladimir Putin.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he hoped Russia's Vladimir Putin would move forward on ending the war in Ukraine but conceded that the Kremlin leader may not want to make a deal at all, adding this would create a "rough situation" for Putin.

President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy met at the White House Monday alongside European leaders to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. Joe Scarborough called the meeting “historic,” noting Western leaders’ repeated references to Article 5: “That’s them poking at