Donald Trump has said he would meet Vladimir Putin even if the Russian leader refuses to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Loading audio...

The US president was asked by a reporter if Putin would need to meet with Zelenskyy to secure a meeting with the US, and replied: "No, he doesn't. No."

Putin had earlier said he hoped to meet Trump next week, possibly in the United Arab Emirates. But the White House was still working through the final details, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

Putin's announcement came on the eve of a White House deadline for Moscow to show progress towards ending the three-year war in Ukraine or suffer additional economic sanctions.

On Wednesday, Trump declared Russia an 'extraordinary threat to the US', seeing him roll out the first wave of US s

See Full Page