Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday held consultations with the leaders of China and India, seeking support from his key allies ahead of a likely summit with Donald Trump.

The calls came hours before a deadline from the US president on Moscow to halt its Ukraine offensive or face crippling new economic sanctions, expected to target Russia's key trading partners.

Both Washington and Moscow have confirmed a Putin-Trump meeting is set to take place, possibly as early as next week.

Trump has spent his first months in office trying to broker peace in Ukraine after boasting he could end the conflict in 24 hours -- but his efforts so far have failed to yield a breakthrough.

He also wants countries such as China and India to cut their purchases of Moscow's oil and gas, a key source of r

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