Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump have yet to discuss a possible meeting, CNN quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying. It cited Peskov as saying there had been no initial contacts between the two leaders about whether such a meeting was needed or where and how it might take place if it did happen.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Preparations for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump are at an "advanced stage", Russian state news agency RIA quoted a senior lawmaker as saying on Thursday.

Donald Trump has suggested he is prepared to meet with Vladimir Putin next week but the Ukrainian prime minister has demanded he meet with the US president first.

That will take some doing. Putin remains uninterested in peace talks as long as Russian troops continue to gain ground in Ukraine’s east, albeit at a slow pace, and while Ukrainian forces hold seized territory in the Kursk region inside Russia, according to John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, and other former officials.

US President Donald Trump is ready to double sanctions against Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The Trump team isn't ruling out tougher sanctions against Russia's energy sector, says US Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia,